Polysaccharide Accumulation in Fusiformis Necrophorus

Fusiformis necrophorus was studied during growth in stirred fermentors at different pH levels and temperatures. At all studied conditions of cultivation a poly‐glucose compound, probably glycogen, was formed by the cells. There was an inverse relationship between cell growth and polysaccharide deposition, maximum glycogen content amounted to 60 per cent of the cell dry weight. In addition, carbohydrate storage was lower at pH 7 than at pH 5.5–6.0 and at 33° C in comparison with 37 and 39° C, indicating that both pH and temperature of the cultivation influence polysaccharide formation. In experiments with accelerated cell growth rate—induced by altered growth conditions—glycogen storage approached zero. It is concluded that F. necrophorus possess a previously unrecognized capacity for polysaccharide storage of such magnitude that it should be considered quantitatively in calculations of substrate growth yields.