58 MYCOLOGY 



activity or be foreign substances. Acetic and lactic acids formed b 

 enzyme activity will destroy the ferments producing them unles: 

 neutralized. Among foreign substances which act as paralyzer; 

 may be mentioned formaldehyde, mercuric chloride, alcohol, chloro 

 form and hydrocyanic acid. Anti-enzymes are a class of substance? 

 which are antagonistic to the action of enzymes. The distribution o 

 the enzymes in the various groups of fungi including the slime mould? 

 bacteria and true fungi have been investigated by a number of zymolc 

 gists. For example, Monilia sitophila may form maltase, trehalasc 

 raffinase, invertase, cytase, diastase, lipase, t)n:osinase and trypsin 

 Box* has demonstrated in moulds, the following: protease, nuclease 

 amidase, lipase, emulsin, amylase, inulase, raffinase, sucrase, maltase 

 lactase, histozyme, catalase and phytase, and he has found that thes 

 enzymes are formed regardless of the chemic character of the substraturr 

 Without going into all the details of the occurrence of enzymes in th 

 fungi, the following classification of the principal enzymes found in th 

 various groups may prove useful to the student. 



Classification of Enzymes in Fungi 

 I. HYDROLYTIC ENZYMES. 



(a) Carbohydrate-splitting enzymes (carbohydrases) : 



Amylase, or Diastase, which hydrolyzes starch to dextrin an 

 maltose. The Koji fungus, Aspergillus oryzea (Taka-diastase 

 Cytase, which hydrolyzes hemicellulose to galactose and mannoF 

 in Botrytis. 



Inulase, which hydrolyzes inulin to levulose. 

 Invertase, which hydrolyzes cane sugar to dextrose and levulos 

 Saccharomyces, Fusarium, Aspergillus niger. 

 Lactase, which hydrolyzes lactose (milk sugar) to dextrose ar. 

 galactose. Kephir organism. 



Maltase, which hydrolyzes maltose (malt sugar) to dextros 

 Saccharomyces octosporus. 



Raffinase, which hydrolyzes raflinose to levulose and melitios 

 Aspergillus niger. 



Trekalase, decomposing trehalose into a reducing sugar. Pol 

 porus sulphureus. 



' I)ox, A. W.: Knzymc Studies of I,owcr Fungi. Plant World, 15: 40, Februa 

 igi2. 



