Zur Kenntnis von Alkaloidbildung und Fettsäuregehalt des Mycels in Submerskulturen von Claviceps-Arten

Abstract

Relations between morphological and biochemical differentiation in certain Claviceps strains were investigated. Thus the alkaloid production and the fatty acid composition during the course of fermentation in submerged culture of Claviceps purpurea, Claviceps paspali and Pennisetumergot = Claviceps fusiformis? were estimated. We confirmed the results of Mantle et al. (1969) that only sclerotia like tissues of C. purpurea contain large amounts of ricinoleic acid. The nonplectenchymatic, sphacelia forms of this species contained less total glyceride oil and were devoid of ricinoleic acid and ergoline derivatives. We found no correlations between growth form, ricinoleic acid content and alkaloid formation in other Claviceps species. One might regard the occurrence of ricinoleic acid in alkaloid producing cultures as a chemotaxonomic “marker” for the species C. pnrpurea.