Production of novel types of antibacterial liamocins by diverse strains of Aureobasidium pullulans grown on different culture media.

Objectives: To compare production of antibacterial liamocins (polyol lipids) by diverse strains of Aureobasidium pullulans grown on different culture media.

Results: Liamocins produced by strains of A. pullulans have potential agricultural and pharmaceutical applications as antibacterials with specificity against Streptococcus spp. Six strains of A. pullulans were characterized for liamocin production on four different culture media. The choice of strain and culture medium affected growth, liamocin yields, and production of contaminating pigments. Best growth and highest liamocin yields were obtained using A. pullulans strain NRRL 50384 grown on a sucrose basal medium. Unexpectedly, the choice of strain and culture medium also affected the structure of liamocins produced, providing novel types of liamocins. Liamocins varied not only in the ratios of trimer and tetramer polyester tail groups, but also in the nature of the polyol headgroup, which could include mannitol, arabitol, or glycerol.

Conclusions: The ability to conveniently produce novel types of liamocins in good yields will provide novel antibacterials for applied uses, and facilitate structure-function studies on the mechanism of antibacterial activity.