Importance of Adsorbents in the Nutrition of Paramecium caudatum*

Abstract
SYNOPSIS. Paramecium caudatum was cultivated in a medium containing 17 amino acids, nucleic acid components, fatty acids, a supplementary carbon source, B‐vitamins and stigmasterol. Growth was enhanced when particles such as corn starch, rice starch or activated charcoal were added to the denned portion of the medium along with an unidentified protein factor found in either yeast or peas. The addition of a synthetic magnesium silicate to the chemically known constituents eliminated the apparent requirement for the protein factor. Since the continuous maintenance of P. caudatum in a medium of known chemical composition is now possible, metabolic studies can be carried on with greater facility.

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