92 MICRO-ORGANISMS AND FERMENTATION. 



layers remain soft, and later are dissolved. The spiral after 

 a time extends and throws out on all sides branched filaments 

 which dislodge the interior layers of the envelope. These 

 branchings finally take the form of an ascus (If, and J.), and 

 in each eight spores are formed. After the breaking np of 

 the asci the spores lie loose in the interior of the perithecium, 

 and are liberated by the rupture of the now fragile wall of 

 the latter. The spores, as in the case of Penicillium, are 

 bi-convex, warty, and possess an outer stout membrane and an 

 inner one, which, on germination, bursts the outer membrane 

 into two valves (r). 



This mould-fungus contains a diastatic ferment, which 

 converts starch into dextrin and maltose. 



In addition to this species, several others, closely related, 

 occur in nature, and also find their way to the places 

 mentioned here. In the greater number only the conidia 

 stage is known. 



4. ASPERGILLUS ORYZJE. 



In the preparation of the strong fermented Japanese 

 rice wine (" sake "), the so-called Aspergillus Oryzce is 

 systematically employed. 1 The rice grains, freed from the 

 hulls, are steamed, but the aggregation and gelatinisation of 

 the grains are avoided. In order to prepare a malt serviceable 

 for the brewer from these grains, which are not capable of 

 germination, and from which the ordinary diastatic action is 

 consequently excluded, the mass of grains is mixed with the 

 so-called " Tane kosi " rice grains, which are coated over 

 with the mycelium and conidia of Aspergillus Oryzce ; or 

 the yellowish-brown spores of the fungus are mixed with the 

 steamed rice grains. In the moist and warm air there 

 develops on the rice at the end of about three days a white 

 velvety mycelium, which gives to the whole mass an agreeable 

 odour, resembling apples or pine-apples. Before the fructifi- 



1 Researches on this ferment were made by Ahlburg, Atkinson, 

 Biisgen, Cohn, Ikuta, Kellner, Mori, and Nagaoka. 



