Abstract
The ability of the thermophilic fungi Humicola insolens Cooney and Emerson, Mucor pusillus Lindt and Thermoascus aurantiacus Miehe which were obtained from stored tobacco leaves in Nigeria to cause biochemical changes in this product in vitro and studies of their nutritional physiology were determined. All the fungi were able to cause considerable losses in the various components of the blended leaves with consequent losses in dry weight on incubation at 45 ° C for 14 days. Only Humicola insolens attacked the cellulose fraction while none of them was able to degrade the lignin component. The highest losses were recorded for H. insolens (29.18% of original dry weight) and Thermoascus aurantiacus (21.5% of original dry weight). When grown on various sources of carbon and nitrogen, the best results were obtained respectively on starch-dextrin and on casein hydrolysate. A C/ N ratio range of 10.0–15.0∶5–7.5 g per liter supported the best growth of these fungi. Because of the zoopathogenic nature of Mucor pusillus and Thermoascus aurantiacus, proper handling of cured tobacco leaves before and after processing becomes mandatory.
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Ogundero, V.W. Studies on thermophilic fungi associated with the spoilage of flue-cured tobacco leaves during storage. Mycopathologia 82, 153–158 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00439220
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00439220