Oxygen uptake rate measurements to monitor the activity of terpene transforming fungi

The application of a simple system for measuring the oxygen uptake rate (OUR) to determine the activity of pellet-forming fungi is described. A non-invasive easy-to-use respirometric system was used to measure the OUR as an activity parameter. The model sensor system was optimized in shake flask experiments with Pleurotus sapidus (DSMZ 8266) and Chaetomium globosum (DSMZ 1962). The toxicity of (+)-limonene and (+)-valencene to submerged fungal cultures and the influence of solvents on C. globosum were investigated. Finally, the new respirometric method was used for the determination of oxygen uptake rates in small scale bioreactors to control the activity of terpene transforming fungi.