FISSION OF SACCHARIDES. 363 



1883), maltase and trehalase (by BOURQUELOT (VII.) and others 

 since 1880), and raffinase (by GILLOT (III.) in 1900). The 

 optimum temperature (45 0.) of Penicillium maltase is about 

 30 lower than that of Aspergillus (Bourquelot). The observation 

 made in 1864 by BECHAMP (XII.), on the inversion of saccharose 

 by the filtrate from crushed mould fungi, probably relates to 

 " P. glaucum." 



BOURQUELOT and GRAZIANI (I.) failed to discover any invertase 

 in the culture liquid in the case of the saccharose-inverting 

 Penicillium Dudauxii (which is probably identical with P. luteum}, 

 the enzyme being, perhaps, retained by the mycelium. 



A. oryzce has long been known for its inverting power 

 (Atkinson, 1881, Kellner, Mori and Nagaoka, 1889), by virtue of 

 which it effects the enzymatic fission of maltose, though not 

 lactose. According to KOZAI (I.) it can also degrade raffinose 

 (melitriose). Our present ideas on the subject no longer allow 

 us to ascribe these effects to a single enzyme (the eurotin and 

 invertase of older workers) ; and indeed Kellner doubted the 

 uniform nature of " invertase." Lactic acid in small quantities 

 (0.05 per cent.) acts as a stimulant in respect of the fission of 

 saccharose, but even as little as o. i per cent, retards the action, 

 and 0.6-0.7 per cent, restricts it entirely ; indeed the action sinks 

 to about one-fifth with 0.5 per cent. compare KELLNER, MORI 

 and NAGAOKA (I.). The action of alcohol and common salt is 

 probably about the same as in the case of amylase. 



A special position is occupied by A llescheria Gayoni ( = Euro- 

 tiopsis (?.), inasmuch as it contains lactase, but not invertase. In 

 addition, maltase and trehalase were detected in this fungus by 

 LABORDE (VI.) in 1897. In the fermentation of solutions of 

 invert sugar, the Isevulose was attacked at an appreciably more 

 rapid rate than dextrose. Up to the present, this is the only 

 member of this family of fungi that has been observed to split up 

 lactose enzymatically, previous to consuming it. The question 

 whether the same is done by A. niger and P. glaucum was 

 discussed by DUCLAUX (XXII.), as long ago as 1889, but was left 

 unsettled. More recent experiments by SCHAFFER (IV.) also led 

 to no definite result, although this worker thought he observed 

 a slight action on lactose in the case of A. niger , A. oryzce and 

 P. glaucum. He also found that saccharose solution is inverted 

 by the extracts furnished by vegetations of all the Aspergillacece 

 examined (A. Wentii, A.fumigalus, A.glaucus, A. oryzce, A. niger) 

 and Penicillium (P. luteum, P. rubrum, P. italicum, P. glaucum}, 

 whilst lactose exhibits an incomparably greater resistance. He 

 likewise states that maltose is converted into glucose by extracts 

 of the fungi in question. 



A good deal of information is also available on the fission of 

 the glucosides, the formation of emulsin being mentioned in the 

 case of Asp. niger, A. oryzce, A. fumigatus, A. Wentii, Penic. 



