On the Relative Value of Asparagine as a nutrient 
for Fungi. 
BY 
T. Nakamura, Nögakushi. 
In order to arrive at a reliable judgement in regard to the 
value of asparagine for fungi as a material for production of 
proteids, it is necessary to offer it in conjunction with another 
organic material which is free from nitrogen and is able not only 
to supply a great deal of carbon which is necessary to form 
proteids from asparagine, but which also would easily support 
respiration and serve for the formation of cellulose. But such 
very favourable nutrients as glycerol or glucose have to be 
avoided, because these would somewhat obscure the relative 
value of the nitrogenous compounds inasmuch as they yield a 
very good result even with such simple nitrogenous compounds 
as ammonia. I selected therefore as less favourable material 
ethyl and methyl alcohol. The amount of nitrogenous and non- 
nitrogenous compounds was such that the number of carbon atoms 
was four times that of the number of nitrogen atoms. 500 c.c. of 
each solution were taken and sterilized by boiling before the 
alcohol was added. (1) The fungus used for these experiments 
was Aspergillus orizae. In order to distribute as closely as 
possible an equal number of spores upon the different flasks some 
spores were suspended in 10 c.c. sterilized water and after well 
shaking each time 1 c.c. was added to each solution. The flasks 
remained in a room whose temperature (from 27th January to 15th 
February) ranged between 5 0 and I5°C. The fungoid mass was 
collected after 18 days on a weighed filter and after being 
well washed, was dried at ioo°C. The results were as fol¬ 
lows : 
(i) Each solution contained further 0.1 % monopotassium phosphate and 0.02% 
magnesium sulphate. 
