When 10−2 M of L- or D-methionine was added to a synthetic medium containing xylose as the sole carbon source, ochratoxin production by Aspergillus ochraceus was strongly inhibited. At that concentration methionine derivatives, e.g., α-methyl-DL-methionine, DL-methionine sulfoxide, and L-methionine sulfone, did not inhibit ochratoxin production, whereas DL-methionine S-methyl sulfonium chloride (MMSC) inhibited ochratoxin production to a large extent. L-Methionine, as well as MMSC, also completely inhibited sclerotia formation, while D-methionine and DL-methionine sulfoxide caused only a partial inhibition. At lower concentrations (10−3 and 10−4 M), none of the compounds exhibited inhibitory effects. In cases where strong ochratoxin inhibition was detected, fungal radial growth or mycelial dry weight was inhibited by only 10–25%, while the initial pH of the medium dropped from ~6.5 to ~4.4–5.0. Adjustment of the initial pH of media supplemented with 10−2 ML-methionine, D-methionine, or MMSC to a pH of ~7.8 did not change the inhibitory effects on ochratoxin production in media containing L-methionine. On the other hand, sclerotia formation was restored in all three treatments.
New Polar Constituents of the Pupae of the SilkwormBombyx moriL. I. Isolation and Identification of Methionine Sulfoxide, Methionine Sulfone, and γ-Cyclic di-L-Glutamate
