BIOCHEMICAL AND STRUCTURAL FEATURES OF BLAKESLEA-TRISPORA DEPENDENT ON MEDIUM COMPOSITION

Phosphate deficiency in the medium induced a significant increase in t he content of neutral sugars in the biomass of the zygomycete Blakesle a trispora, which reflected polysaccharide accumulation in the cell wa ll. Cytological alterations were revealed in the cell wall that were c orrelated with the biochemical changes. Given the practical importance of fungi as sorbents of metals and radioactive pollutants and the dep endence of the sorption capacity of the cell wall on its biochemical a nd structural features, it is pertinent to employ adequate cultivation conditions to direct physiological activity to enhance the sorption c apacity of fungal biomass.