Preliminary Note on the Inactivation of Antibiotics

Abstract

Enhanced production of penicillin is made possible by addition of Cellophane to fluid media. With Cellophane bags of suitable surface, the growth of the submerged and surface penicillin producing strains of Penicillium notatum is significantly faster and more abundant; penicillin makes its appearance earlier and reaches higher concentration in larger total volumes than in control cultures without Cellophane. Thus the gain with the method described is both in the rate of production as well as in the total yield of penicillin. The enhancement also occurs under conditions unfavorable for development of penicillin, namely, (a) with degenerated cultures of the mold; and (b) when the surface penicillin producing strain is grown in cultures with an unfavorably small [See Equation In PDF file] ratio (0.0315). There is also noted a markedly stabilizing effect of Cellophane upon the H-ion concentration of abundantly growing cultures during active production of penicillin. The stabilization is of significance, since the sharp rise in pH usually occurring in Penicillium cultures tends to destroy rapidly the penicillin.