Abstract
Ricinoleic acid was metabolized in a special manner by genus Candida so far tested in a medium consisted of 2% meat extract and 0.3% ricinoleic acid at 27°C. The metabolic intermediates, i.e., 8-hydroxy tetra-decenoic, 6-hydroxy dodecenoic, 4-hydroxy decanoic and 2-hydroxy octanoic acids were detected in the culture medium. Among them considerable amounts of 4-hydroxy decanoic acid (in γ-lactone form) and 2-hydroxy octanoic acid were extracted from the medium after 48 hours of cultivation, and they were isolated and characterized chemically. As the cultivation proceeded further, they finally disappeared from the medium. The mode of marked accumulation of these intermediary fatty acids in the culture medium is discussed.
The authors wish to thank Prof. N. Ishida of Tohoku University School of Medicine for providing facilities for this work, and Dr. M. Suzuki of Tohoku College of Pharmacy for supplying the Candida strains.
Thanks are also due to Dr. T. Ikenoue of the Chemical Research Institute of Non-aqueous Solutions, Tohoku University and Dr. Y. Kondo of the Institute of Pharmacy, Tohoku University School of Medicine for the NMR measurement, and to Miss A. Sugawara for her assistance in carrying out the experiments.
