Chitin contents in different morphological forms of Rhizopus nigricans

Chitin (one of the major cell wall constituents of Zygomycetes) was determi ned in different morphological forms of Rhizopus nigricans mycelia grown at different cultivating conditions. Microscopic observation and chemical ana lysis has revealed that at the phase of active growth, long and sparsely br anched hyphae of dispersed mycelia contain 2.3 % of dry cell mass of this s tructural polysaccharide, which is higher than the value found in pellets o f the same age. A large increase in chitin content up to 9.0 % of cell dry mass was determined in older, partially autolyzed mycelia in the form of pe llets.