Several penicillin producing fungi were tested for their ability to 6-aminopenicillanic acid (6-APA) and producing penicillin acylase.
6-APA was in the corn steep liquor fermentation Trichophyton mentagrophytes, Aspergillus ochraceus and three strains of Penicillium sp. 6-APA was not detected in fermentations Epidermophyton floccosum, although the penicillins have been produced. 6-APA is produced, a large proportion of the total production of antibiotics by T. mentagrophytes. The types of fungi produced by various penicillins were identified by paper chromatography and it was found that all the cultures prepared benzylpenicillin. T. mentagrophytes and A. ochraceous showed yield of benzylpenicillin phenoxymethylpenicillin and the formation in response to the addition to the medium of fermentation of phenylacetic acid and phenoxyacetic increase, respectively. mycelium washed three Penicillium spp. and two high-yield strains of P. chrysogenum had penicillin acylase activity of penicillin against phenoxymethylpenicillin. A. ochraceous, T. mentagrophytes E. floccosum and Cephalosporium sp. had activity against penicillin acylase phenoxymethylpenicillin. Only two of the above fungi, T. mentagrophytes and E. floccosum, showed significant activity against penicillin acylase benzylpenicillin; in both cases, it was very low. The acylase activity of A. ochraceous was significantly increased by culturing in the presence of phenoxyacetic. It is concluded that the 6-APA often, but not always accompanied by the formation of penicillin and penicillin-acylase activity against phenoxymethylpenicillin is in fungi producing penicillin.