Metabolism of vanillic acid by Micromycetes

The ability of 953 strains of Micromycetes to grow with vanillic acid (0.5 g/l) was investigated. Toxicity assays were performed on malt extract/agar medium, while consumption was estimated by growing fungi on solid synthetic medium with vanillic acid as sole carbon source. More than half of the tested strains grew in both conditions. After cultivation on solid media, 296 strains were selected and cultivated in liquid synthetic medium. These experiments allowed division of the Micromycetes into different groups according to their consumption of the phenolic compound and the appearance of new metabolites. Results were related to the taxonomic position of the strains.