Aging of Penicillium chrysogenum cultures under carbon starvation: I: morphological changesand secondary metabolite production

In aging carbon‐depleted cultures of an industrial b‐lactam‐producing strain of Penicillium chrysogenum the fragmentation and autolysis of mycelia was coupled with high production of NH3 (71.6 mM) and oxalate (37.8 mM) and low production of b‐lactam (0.24 mM). Round‐ended hyphal fragments consisting of two cells were found to be the dominant surviving forms, and addition of an extra dose of glucose in the autolytic phase reversed the biomass degradation by reinitiating cell growth.