Assessment of Simple Methods to preserve Pure Cultures of Aspergillus Versicolor and Aspergillus Niger

Abstract

The preservation of pure fungal cultures is considered as an important part of applied and industrial microbiology applications. In this study, we are focusing on filamentous fungi preservation as these species are very useful in industrial applications such as wastewater treatment, biofuel production etc. We are presenting an evaluation of three methods to maintain and preserve filamentous fungi: refrigeration on filter paper, refrigeration with glycerol and cryopreservation with DMSO. The three methods were tested on the pure cultures of Aspergillus versicolor and Aspergillus niger. The three methods were successful where the viability measured by colony forming unit CFU counts was confirmed. We suggest that for the short-term preservation of filamentous fungi, the filter paper method could be preferred as it is very simple, quick and effective.