POLYSACCHARIDE STORAGE AND GROWTH EFFICIENCY IN RUMINOCOCCUS ALBUS

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Abstract
Ruminococcus albus strain-RAM requires biotin, p-aminobenzoic acid, pyridoxamine, isovalerate, isobutyrate, 2-methylbutyrate and either cysteine or sulfide. Rumen fluid and casein hydrolysate improve growth but are not essential. Up to 35% iodophilic polysaccharide is stored in cells from batch cultures and 17% in a continuous culture on a 10-hr. cycle. The storage product is a polymer of glucose resembling starch. The yield of cells in continuous culture (corrected for stored starch) averaged 102 mg per mmole of cellobiose fermented to waste products. It is postulated that nine high-energy phosphates are derived from each cellobiose molecule. Conversions providing this number are discussed.