Biotransformation of terpenes by fungi: Study of the pathways involved

The biotransformation of the pure terpene alcohols geraniol and nerol, the mixture of the alcohols, ‘citrol’, and the mixture of the aldehydes, citral, to 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one by sporulated surface cultures of Penicillium digitatum was compared. It was found that citral was converted faster than the alcohols but gave a lower overall yield of ≈76%, whereas the pure alcohols and their mixture, ‘citrol’, gave a yield of ≈83%. It was also established that the bioconversion over prolonged periods was possible with an overall yield of 80–90% depending on the substrate used. The bioconversion of nerol to 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one by a spore suspension was also shown. The pathways involved in the biotransformation of geraniol and citral to 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one are also discussed.