Abstract
Aspergillus penicillioides is a true halophile, present in diverse econiches – from the hypersaline athalassohaline, and thalassohaline environments, to polyhaline systems, and in different geographical locations. Twenty seven isolates from these environments, were seen to be moderate halophiles, euryhaline in nature. They had an obligate need of a low aw and were unable to grow on a regular defined medium such as Czapek Dox Agar, as well as on varied nutrient rich agar media such as Malt Extract, Potato Dextrose and Sabouraud Agar; however, growth was obtained on all these media when amended with 10% solar salt. In absence of added salt, the conidia either did not germinate, or when germinated, distortions and lysis were seen in the short mycelial forms; on media with salt, the mycelia and vesicles appeared normal.
Highlights
Aspergillus penicillioides growth is favoured by low aw, and can grow even at an aw of 0.68, which is in hibitory to most fungi (Tamura et al, 1999; Pitt and Hocking, 2009)
This paper reports A. penicillioides as a true halophile, present in diverse econiches of athalassohaline, and thalassohaline hypersaline environments, as well as polyhaline systems
The results indicate that most of the isolates tested had a minimum salt requirement of 2 or 5% for growth, while a few required 10%, which clearly demonstrated their true halophilic nature
Summary
Aspergillus penicillioides growth is favoured by low aw, and can grow even at an aw of 0.68, which is in hibitory to most fungi (Tamura et al, 1999; Pitt and Hocking, 2009). A. penicillioides has been found in diverse habitats of low aw, such as the Dead Sea, solar salterns, mangroves, estuary (Wasser et al, 2003; Butinar et al, 2011; Gonsalves et al, 2012; Nayak et al, 2012; Nazareth et al, 2012), on foods such as grains, dried fruit, baked goods, salted fish and spices, as well as on binocular lenses and human skin (Andrews and Pitt, 1987; Tamura et al, 1999; Pitt and Hocking, 2009).
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