368 CHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF ASPERGILLACE^E. 



to Penic. brevicaule. Doubts, whether justified or not, have been 

 thrown on this alleged capacity in the case of Asp. glaucus, Asp. 

 niger and Penic. glaucum ; though the statement of ELFVING (I.), 

 that he found up to 4.2 per cent, by weight of alcohol in cultures 

 of " Penic. glaucum" is rather strange. One cannot reject off- 

 hand the possibility of this substance being present in fungus 

 cultures to a larger extent than is now believed ; and the matter 

 requires closer attention. Perhaps the alcohol has hitherto escaped 

 notice owing to the circumstance that the vegetation of certain 

 species readily decomposes ethyl alcohol (see also p. 80, vol. ii.). 

 For instance, according to Laborde, Eurotiopsis can decompose 

 up to i o per cent, and Asp. niger (according to Duclaux) up to 

 6-8 per cent., whilst this substance, in the form of a 3 per cent, 

 solution (when accompanied by mineral food-stuffs), is a suitable 

 nutrient material for both Asp. niger and Penic. glaucum compare 

 WEHMER (V.) and COUPIN (I.). Hence, when as is usually the 

 case these organisms cannot be grown in a restricted supply of 

 air, a rapid oxidation of the alcohol sufficient to prevent accumu- 

 lation must be reckoned with. MAZE (II.) regards alcohol as a 

 normal intermediate product of the decomposition of sugar by 

 micro-organisms, and supported this opinion by experiments with 

 Allescheria Gayoni (Eurotiopsis) in 1902. 



This fungus, in fact, constitutes, according to LABORDE (VI.), 

 the single exception already mentioned. It excites normal 

 fermentation in solutions of dextrose, laevulose, maltose and 

 lactose subsequent to enzymatic fission in the case of the two 

 last, succinic acid and glycerin being formed in addition to alcohol 

 and carbon dioxide. A restricted supply of oxygen is an essential 

 condition, but none of these fungi will survive the total exclusion 

 of that gas. There is no production of spherical yeast, as in many 

 of the Mucorinece, the submerged mycelium retaining its appear- 

 ance unchanged. From 100 grms. of sugar Laborde obtained, on 

 the average, 46.4 grms of alcohol, 44.4 grms. of carbon dioxide, 2.3 

 grms. of succinic acid and 1.8 grm. of glycerin, with an increase of 

 4-5 grms. in the weight of the fungus (total 94.9 grms.). In the 

 case of the first two sugars, this result corresponds to about 2 grms. 

 less than by fermentation with Saccharomycetes, the latter furnish- 

 ing Pasteur with 48.6 grms. of alcohol, 46.8 grms. of carbon dioxide, 

 3.2 grms. of glycerin, 0.6 grm. of succinic acid and 1.2 grm. of 

 yeast (total, 100.4 grms.). The appearance of the fermenting 

 fungus closely resembles that of Mucorinece under the same 

 conditions, the submerged mycelium developed from the sowing 

 being quickly interspersed with large bubbles of gas, and also 

 exhibiting a tendency to pass over into surface vegetation. In 

 about six weeks the alcohol produced amounted to upwards of 

 8 per cent. A 14 per cent, solution of invert sugar was attenuated 

 down to 2 per cent, of sugar in sixteen days, the Isevulose dis- 

 appearing comparatively quickly. Inverted lactose gave a more 



