Abstract: The purpose of this study was to isolate and identify Eurotium cristatum from Fuzhuan tea and to explore its growth characteristics and application in liquid-state fermentation. A phylogenetic tree was constructed based on the amplification and sequencing of the specific segment internal transcribed spacer (ITS). Nine of the isolates shared a sequence similarity of greater than or equal to 99% to the homologous sequence deposited in GenBank. The colonial morphology of strain HNYYWX.13, with a 100% similarity to the homologous sequence, was observed and its microscopic morphology was examined by optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Also the growth rhythm of this strain was investigated. In order to evaluate the effect of carbon source and sterilization treatment on the liquid-state fermentation of tea infusion from Camellia japonica leaves grown in Pingli, Shaanxi province by the spore suspension of strain HNYYWX.13, the contents of total polyphenols and amino acids were monitored dynamically. The results showed that addition of carbon source and the absence of sterilization treatment both facilitated the growth of E. cristatum in liquid-state fermentation.

Key words: Fuzhuan tea, Eurotium cristatum, isolation and identification, morphological observation, liquid-state fermentation