Response of the Mimeae to some physical and chemical agents.

Isolates of Mima polymorpha and Herellea vaginicola obtained from retail food products were investigated for their ability to hydrolyze proteins, starch, and lipids as well as for their ability to initiate growth under varying conditions of pH, sodium chloride concentration, and temperature. None of the isolates hydrolyzed starch and a few hydrolyzed proteins, whereas most were actively lipolytic. Members of each genus grew over the range 6 to 42 C; in general, H. vaginicola was more tolerant to high concentrations of sodium chloride and to acid conditions than was M. polymorpha.