Growth and enzyme production by three Penicillium species on monosaccharides

The growth and preference for utilisation of various sugar by the Penicillium species Penicillium pinophilum IBT 4186, Penicillium persicinum IBT 13226 and Penicillium brasilianum IBT 20888 was studied in batch cultivations using various monosaccharides as carbon source, either alone or in mixtures. P. pinophilum IBT 4186 and P. persicinum IBT 13226 had a μ max around 0.08–0.09 h −1 using either glucose or xylose as carbon source. The μ max of P. brasilianum IBT 20888 was 0.16 and 0.14 h −1 on glucose and xylose, respectively. Glucose was found to exert repression on the catabolism of mannose, galactose, xylose and arabinose. The three species were able to utilise all the tested monosaccharides, but arabinose was only slowly metabolised. Glucose was also found to repress the production of endoglucanases, endoxylanases and β-xylosidases. After glucose depletion, the fungi started producing β-glucosidase and endoglucanases. Xylose did not repress the enzyme production and it induced the production of endoxylanases and β-xylosidases.