The automated Bioscreen C system was used for growth of four Mucor hiemalis strains isolated from the soil in the Juréia-Itatins Ecology Station (JIES), São Paulo state, in liquid culture media containing different carbon (2%) and nitrogen (1%) sources, pH 5.0, at 25ºC, and agitated at 150 rpm for 5 days. The medium containing only one nitrogen source had been added with 2% glucose. The readings were taken at lambda = 540 nm, at 2-hour intervals, up to five days. The results were compared using the Friedman Test (alpha = 5%). The best growth was obtained for strains M1, M2 and M3, reaching the log phase in 60 hours. The best carbon sources varied according to the strain, and yeast extract proved to be the best nitrogen source. Sodium acetate inhibited the growth of the four strains, being the M3 strain the most affected. The use of the automated system was very convenient for cultures in liquid media, as it is rapid and automated, providing a good technique for determination of the optimal environmental factors for growth of the filamentous fungi.
Mucor hiemalis; zygomycetes; automated systems; carbon and nitrogen sources
