Isolation and NMR Analysis of Antifungal Fengycin A and B from Bacillus amyloliquefaciens subsp. plantarum BC32‐1

Natural antibiotics produced by microorganisms have generated considerable interest in various industries. Here we report the potential of antifungal lipopeptides produced by Bacillus amyloliquefaciens subsp. plantarum BC32‐1 isolated from ultisols. The BC32‐1 strain strongly inhibited mycelial growth of plant pathogenic fungi. Several lipopeptides were purified by organic solvent extraction and reversed‐phase high‐performance liquid chromatography (RP‐HPLC). The purified lipopeptides contained iturin, fengycin, and surfactin‐type lipopeptides, as confirmed by liquid chromatography‐tandem mass spectrometry (LC‐MS/MS) analyses. Since fengycin‐type lipopeptides showed strong antifungal activity, we characterized the chemical structures of fengycin A and B using LC‐MS/MS and 2D NMR spectroscopy. This study will provide the structural basis for the development of new antifungal agents for the control of pathogenic fungal diseases.