Two lots of corn naturally contaminated with fumonisin B1 (15 and 36 ppm) and a control lot (no fumonisin B1 detected) were used as substrates for ethanol production in replicate 8.5-liter yeast fermentations. Ethanol yields were 8.8% for both the control and low-fumonisin corn, while the high-fumonisin corn contained less starch and produced 7.2% ethanol. Little degradation of fumonisin occurred during fermentation, and most was recovered in the distillers' grains, thin stillage, and distillers' solubles fractions. No toxin was detected in the distilled alcohol or centrifuge solids. Ethanol fermentation of fumonisin-contaminated corn coupled with effective detoxification of distillers' grains and aqueous stillage is suggested as a practical process strategy for salvaging contaminated corn.

beta-hydroxypropionaldehyde (3-HPA) can be oxidized to acrylic acid, an industrially important chemical used in the manufacture of synthetic plastics and other polymers. Of 19 genera and 55 strains tested, 3 Klebsiella and 2 Enterobacter strains produced 3-HPA. The most efficient strain was Klebsiella pneumoniae NRRL B-4011. Under optimum conditions (28 degrees C; 40 g of semicarbazide hydrochloride per liter, 70 g of glycerol per liter; and pH 6.0), 3.1 g of B-4011 cells per liter accumulated 22 g of 3-HPA per liter at a specific rate of 0.83 g/g per h; however, 14.5 g of cells per liter accumulated 46 g of 3-HPA per liter at a specific rate of 0.41 g/g per h.

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Nutritional and environmental factors present both during inoculum production and the infection or colonization process ultimately influence effectiveness of biocontrol agents. Conidial efficacy of Colletotrichum truncatum NRRL 13737 for control of Sesbania exaltata was evaluated after providing amendments to spores which had been produced in media with differing carbon to nitrogen (C:N) ratios. Conidia produced in a medium with a C:N ratio of 10:1 incited more severe disease in seedling assays than spores produced in 30:1 medium, though amending with pregelatinized starch increased the efficacy of 30:1 spores to levels comparable to 10:1 spores without amendment. Casamino acids increased the severity of disease incited by 10:1 spores but generally did not influence 30:1 spore efficacy. Cell viability after storage, seed germination, and disease suppression were evaluated after treating wheat seed with various formulations of Pseudomonas fluorescens 2-79 (NRRL B-15132) cells of different age for control of take-all (caused by Gaeumannomyces graminis var. tritici). Viability, germination, and disease suppression declined over 6 months storage. Effects of cell age (24, 48, and 96 h) were not consistent. Cells resuspended in methylcellulose-water (MW) survived better on wheat seed than cells resuspended in methylcellulose-broth (MB) and MW treated seed retained a higher germination rate. However, disease suppression was best on MB treated seed.