Aspartic Acid as a Partial Substitute for the Growth-Stimulating Effect of Biotin on Torula cremoris.

Conclusion

The omission of biotin resulted in a pronounced delay of growth of a stock laboratory strain of Torula cremoris in an ammonium phosphate-glucose-inorganic salt medium. Under these conditions 1(—)- aspartic acid or dl-aspartic acid, when supplied in place of biotin but in much larger amounts, produced a distinct stimulation of growth. A less marked stimulation was caused by glutamic acid. Seventeen other amino acids did not produce this effect.

Pimelic acid and cysteine did not stimulate growth in the absence of biotin under the conditions of these tests.