The production of vitamin B₆ (B₆) compounds with a cell-suspension of Achromobacter cycloclastes A.M.S. 6201 under various conditions were examined. An obvious accumulation of B₆ compounds in the incubation medium with a cell-suspension of the organism harvested at the middle to later part of exponential phase of growth was observed. γ-Aminobutyric acid or β-alanine was found to stimulate the B₆ production markedly, when they were added to the incubation mixture together with glycerol. Some discussion on the implication of these compounds as precursors of B₆ was presented.

View full abstract

Glutamic acid producing bacteria accumulated a large amount of valine in the presence of the excess biotin, when sodium acrylate monomer (Na-AM) was added at the earlier phase of culture. Brevibacterium roseum ATCC 13825, particularly, accumulated the large amount of valine among bacteria tested and the conditions of valine accumulation by this strain were investigated.
The most effective addition time of Na-AM was at the earlier phase of logarithmic phase. The optimal concentration of Na-AM for the accumulation of valine was 1.0 per cent (v/v). Most effective nitrogen sources were the combination of 1.0 per cent urea and 0.2 per cent ammonium sulphate. The additions of Mn²⁺ and Fe²⁺ increased valine accumulation. By the excess concentration of biotin for growth, 20μg/liter or more, did not affected valine accumulation, while the presence of the suboptimal condition of biotin for growth was not good for the formation of valine even in the presence of Na-AM. The accumulation of valine reached 9.0mg/ml from 75.0mg/ml of glucose in the presence of 50μg/liter of biotin and 1.0 per cent (v/v) of Na-AM.
This strain possessed considerable activity of valine formation regardless of the addition of Na-AM and promoted the accumulation of valine by the addition of Na-AM.

View full abstract

A time-saving and accurate method for determining pyrethroids by means of gas-liquid FID-type chromatography was devised. Under the specified conditions, allethrin was determined at so low a concentration as 0.2_??_1.0mg/ml with an accuracy of less than ±1% deviation, and this was also the case with phtalthrin at 0.5_??_1.5mg/ml concentration. The practical application of this method to some technical pyrethroids products gave satisfactory results of estimation and %-purity of some technical pyrethroids was determined and it was found that a batch of technical phthalthrin (93.3% purity) contained 81.5% trans-, and 11.8% cis-isomers. It was shown that α-DL-trans-allethrin and N-(3, 4, 5, 6)-tetrahydrophthalimidomethyl (±)-trans-chrysanthemate can be used as an internal standard to each other.

View full abstract

In relation to the bactericidal action of γ-irradiated halogenophenol solution, radiolysis of p-bromophenol in the aqueous system under anaerobic condition was investigated. Several phenolic compounds could be isolated from the radiolys is products, and three of them were elucidated for their structures. One of them was hydroquinone and the other two were assigned as new asymmetrical dimers, 5-bromo-2, 4'-dihydroxybiphenyl and 2-bromo-5, 4'-dihydroxybiphenyl, which were confirmed by the syntheses of their methyl ethers.

View full abstract

Micrococcus sp. which is able to utilize azelaic acid as a sole carbon source produced D-xylonic acid or D-gluconic acid by oxidative dissimilation of D-xylose or D-glucose at high yield of as much as 90per cent of the sugar consumed.
The conditions for the production by intact cells or by cultivation were investigated.

View full abstract

Metabolites from salicylic acid by microorganisms were investigated. About eighty strains of bacteria which were able to utilize salicylic acid as a sole source of carbon were isolated from soil and other natural sources.
Among these bacteria, several strains produced a large amount of keto acids in the culture fluid during the cultivation. The acid was isolated from the culture fluid of strain K 102 in crystalline form. The crystal was identified as α-ketoglutaric acid by physicochemical methods. From the taxonomical studies, the isolated bacterial strains K 102 and K 362 were assumed to be Pseudomonas sp.

View full abstract

During the course of investigations on the metabolism of d-biotin by microorganisms, the authors have found that a strain belonging to Endomycopsis effectively converted d-biotin into unknown biotin vitamers. The unknown biotin vitamers formed were isolated in crystalline form from the culture filtrate of a strain of Endomycopsis species and characterized as bisnorbiotin and bisnorbiotin sulfoxide by their physico-chemical and biological properties. The isolated vitamers were shown to support the growth of Bacillus subtilis, but not of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and of Lactobacillus arabinosus. The degradative pathway of d-biotin in microorganisms was also discussed.

View full abstract

2, 5-Anhydro-3-azido-3-deoxy-D-xylose dimethyl acetal (XI), the key intermediate for the stereospecific synthesis of d-oxybiotin, was prepared by methanolysis of 3-azido-3-deoxy-1, 2-O-isopropylidene-5-O-P-tolylsulfonyi-α-D-xylofuranose (VIIIa) or of 3-azido-3-deoxy-1, 2-O-cyclohexylidene-5-O-p-tolylsulfonyl-α-D-xylofuranose (VIIIb).

View full abstract

Mutants which could not utilize D-gluconate, L-arabinose, sorbitol, pyruvate or L-glutamate as a sole carbon source and which required shikimic acid for their growth were isolated. Characterization of these mutants by the patterns of carbohydrate utilization revealed that various kinds of carbohydrate metabolism mutants including those of the non-oxidative limb of the pentose phosphate pathway were isolated.
Ability of inosine formation of these mutants and transformants from them was investigated. Consequently, slightly improved strains were found among transformants in comparison with the parent strain.

View full abstract

Properties of autolytic breakdown of rat skeletal muscle proteins in the alkaline pH range have been reported. The activity is almost exclusively localized in the myofibrillar fraction, but is not solubilized with Triton X-100. The activity is affected by the KCI concentration in the reaction mixture. In 0.6m and the more concentrated KCI solutions, the maximum activity is attained. The optimum pH of the activity is in the range of pH 7.5_??_9.5, and the optimum temperature is between 47_??_57°C.
This autolytic activity seems to be different from catheptic activity which shows its optimum pH in the acid pH range. Moreover, though more than half of the catheptic activity of rat skeletal muscle is recovered in the myofibrillar fraction, the catheptic activity in the myofibrillar fraction can be removed from the fraction by the extraction with dilute saline solution containing Triton X-100.

View full abstract

From the mycelium of Ascochyta imperfecta decumbin, C₁₆H₂₄O₄, mp203°C, [α]²⁵_D+91.7° was obtained in one percent yield.
The absolute structure of decumbin was presented as [II] by the following evidences: The configuration about C₄ was determined as (S) by the benzoate rule on the tetrahy-dromonoketone (21). The hydroxyl at C₇ is α, because tetrahydrodecumbin (23) showed no intramolecular hydrogen bond, while its C₇ epimer (24) did. Ring juncture was de termined by ORD of a five membered ketone (16). Two double bonds were found to be trans from IR data. The stereochemistry of decumbin monoepoxide (7), tetrahydropyrans (12 and 13) was also studied. Plant tests of the twenty derivatives of decumbin on lucerne and rape revealed that the growth inhibition activity has close relation with the presence of double bond in the thirteen membered lactone ring.

View full abstract

Simplified experimental diets of various protein levels from 9% to 79% on dry basis were fed to chicks. Under the experimental conditions, fat content (y) in chick carcass decreased exponentially with the increase in dietary protein level (x), as shown by the following equation, while carcass
y=1096x^-1.552
protein content increased linearly and reached maximum at 20.6% on the diet of 31% or more of protein level. Carcass components other than moisture, fat, and protein were kept constant at 3.6% in average, regardless of the change in dietary composition. The physio logical upper and lower limits of carcass fat content were suspected to be 17% and not less than 0.9%, respectively.

View full abstract

Periodical change in carcass composition of young chicks was determined after switching over the lipogenic diet to the lipolytic diet or vice versa. It was found that change in carcass fat level is rapid and reversible. When the lipolytic diet is switched to the lipogenic diet, carcass fat increases gradually and reaches to an apparent equilibrium after 12 days with fiducial limits from 17 to 9 days. When the lipogenic diet is switched to the lipolytic diet, carcass fat decreases to reach to an apparent equilibrium after 7 days. The lipolytic or lipogenic effect of diet is not simply due to the change in supply of dietary energy to the chicks.

View full abstract

L-Sorbose metabolism in Pseudomonas aeruginosa IFO 3898 was studied. When the strain was cultivated in L-sorbose medium, L-idonic and 2-keto-L-gulonic acids were detected in the culture broth.
From the results on the metabolism of various sugars and sugar acids with the cell
suspension and the metabolites accumulated, the following pathway was proposed for the
L-sorbose metabolism in Ps. aeruginosa IFO 3898.
L-Sorbose→L-idose→L-idonic acid→2-keto-L-gulonic acid.

View full abstract

Five weakly acidic carbonyl compounds and two neutral carbonyl compounds were newly isolated as their 2, 4-dinitrophenylhydrazones besides the previously reported compounds by using column and thin-layer chromatographies.
These compounds were characterized and identified by their IR, UV and MS spectra and the mixed melting points test.
The newly isolated and identified compounds were as follows; weakly acidic carbonyl compounds: 2-pyrrolealdehyde, vanillin, p-hydroxybenzaldehyde, syringaldehyde, protocatechuic aldehyde, neutral carbonyl compounds: glyoxal, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural.
These compounds, particularly vanillin, protocatechuic aldehyde, 2-pyrrolealdehyde and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, appeared to be concerned with the flavor of roast barley (Mugi-Cha).

View full abstract

Experiments were executed to elucidate the chemical structure of ceramide monohexoside (CMH) and ceramide dihexoside (CDH) isolated from cow's milk, especially with regard to the nature of the sugar moiety of the molecules. The results have shown that the structure of CMH and CDH in bovine milk is β-glucosyl-(1→1)-N-acyl-sphingosine, namely ceramide glucoside, and β-galactosyl-(1→4)-β-glucosyl-(1→1)-N-acyl-sphingosine, namely ceramide lactoside, respectively.

View full abstract

The growth of Brevibacterium flavum No. 2247 was inhibited over 90% at a concentration above 1mg/ml of α-amino-β-hydroxyvaleric acid, a threonine analogue, and the inhibition was reversed by the addition of L-threonine, and to lesser extent by L-leucine, Lisoleucine, L-valine and L-homoserine. L-Methionine stimulated the inhibition. Several mutants re-sistant to the analogue produced L-threonine in the growing cultures. The percentage of L-threonine producer in the resistant mutants depended on the concentration of the analogue, to which they were resistant. The best producer, strain B-183, was isolated from resistant strains selected on a medium containing 5mg/ml of the analogue. Mutants resistant to 8mg/ml of the analogue was derived from strain B-183 by the treatment with mutagen, N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine. Among the mutants obtained, strain BB-82 produced 13.5g/liter of L-threonine, 30% more than did the parental strain. Among the resistant mutants obtained from Corynebacterium acetoacidophilum No. 410, strain C-553 produced 6.1g/liter of L-threonine. Several amino acids other than L-threonine were also accumulated, and these accumulations of amino acids were discussed from the view of regulation mechanism of L-threonine biosynthesis.

View full abstract

Preparation of aseptic rennet curd was carried out to investigate the autolysis of lactic acid bacterial cells during cheese ripening. The asepsis of these prepared curds was effectively maintained during ripening. No change in DNA content of this aseptic rennet curd was observed during ripening. Aseptically harvested and washed cells of Str. cremoris and L. helveticus, both of which were cultured for 48hr in the liquid media, were sandwiched between aseptic rennet curd. These sandwiched curds were perfectly coated with paraffin wax.
Rapid increase in cell free DNA content of these sandwiched curds was observed during the ripening period of 6_??_12 days at 10°C. It seemed that both kinds of lactic acid bacterial cells sandwiched between the curds began to autolyze during 6_??_12 days ripening and that intracellular substances were released from the autolyzed cells. These autolyzed cells were clearly observed by electron micrography.

View full abstract

A series or γ-and δ-lactones could be found in the thermal oxidative products of normal saturated acids, aldehydes, and alcohols (C₉, C₁₀, and C₁₂, respectively) heated at 180°C in the presence of 0.1% KMnO₄. Their lactones were identified by gas chromatography, infrared spectroscopy, and mass spectroscopy. And they could be detected also in the volatile compounds occurred by heating of C₁₀ acid, aldehyde, and alcohol mixed with pork fat. So it was expected that lactones in meat fat flavor described in the earlier papers could be secondary products converted from saturated acids, aldehydes, and alcohols formed by oxidative degradation of meat fats. This process was presumed to be one of the mechanisms of the lactone formation.
It was discussed that lactones might he derived through mono or dihydroperoxides of acids, aldehydes, and alcohols.

View full abstract