Title: Anti-fungal activity of fatty acids toPithomyces chartarum(Berk. & Curt.) M. B. Ellis and other fungi
Abstract: Abstract The anti-fungal activity towards Pithomyces chartarum (Berk. & Curt.) M. B. Ellis and other fungi of an homologous series of straightchain fatty acids with one-12 carbon atoms was found to vary with chain length and with concentration. Vapours of volatile or partly volatile fatty acids up to, and including, C7 acid, inhibited growth of mycelial discs, whereas acids of longer chain length did not. Fatty acids with up to 11 carbon atoms, in emulsions with a nonionic detergent (“Lissapol N,” I.C.I. (N.Z.) Ltd.) inhibited growth of mycelial discs of P. chartarum to varying degrees. C9–11 fatty acids, with and without “Lissapol N,” showed strong activity in inhibiting spore germination of P. chartarum. pH of medium, when tested with C11 unsaturated acid, was found to affect anti-fungal activity. A mixture of fully saturated, highly branched (mainly tertiary), synthetic acids with nine-11 carbon atoms, (“C9–11 Synthetic Acids” or “Versatic 911,” Shell Oil (N.Z.) Ltd.) , at appropriate concentrations, inhibited the germination and production of spores of P. chartarum.