Fruit esters and lactones with fruit, milk, cream and

nutty attributes are now the best researched and economically most important microbial flavour compounds. Metabolic engineering strategies for the various pathways and bioreactor operation were examined [16•]. Hydroxylation and β-oxidation of a fatty acid precursor leads to 4- and 5-alkanolides; cytochrome catalysis presents another route to lactones through Baeyer-Villiger-type oxidation. Comprising more than 30,000 representatives, oligoisoprenoids derived from the acetate-mevalonate or from the triose-pyruvate pathway are the most diverse class of substances in nature. The primary products of isoprene addition, the terpene hydrocarbons, predominate in plant essential oils. The oxygenated terpenoids are secondary products. Starting in the early 1960s, microorganisms, such as Pseudomonas, selleck compound were used for the biotransformation of the hydrocarbons [17••]. Cytochrome and other oxidoreductase activities yielded high-valued flavour compounds [18]. Current work is searching

for new species, such as fungal endophytes Selleck BAY 73-4506 growing inter- or intracellularly in plants [19]. Common biotransformation substrates were the abundant monoterpenes limonene, citronellol, α- and β-pinene. The strains were distinguished by a high tolerance towards the generally cytotoxic hydrocarbons and were identified as Penicillia and Aspergilli [20]. Further transformations of the resulting carbonyls were achieved using the high reduction power of yeasts, such as Candida, Debaryomyces, or Kluyveromyces [21]. (4R)-(−)-carvone and (1R)-(−)-myrtenal gave

(1R,4R)-dihydrocarvone and (1R)-myrtenol as the main products. As many of these transformation reactions could as well be achieved by chemical means, analytical tools are needed to differentiate between the various origins. Chiral gaschromatography or, if stereocentres are missing, stable isotope analysis on the levels of natural abundance are the techniques of choice [22•]. Using intact cells as biocatalysts means to entertain many metabolic routes not required for the formation of the target flavour. As the isolation of an enzyme may turn out complicated, lyophilisates retaining the catalytic activity are a viable compromise. DyP-type peroxidases of the basidiomycete Marasmius scorodonius ID-8 (garlic mushroom) capable of the asymmetric cleavage of tetraterpenes yielded C13-orisoprenoid flavour compounds, such as β-ionone [23], and a lipoxygenase-like enzyme from Pleurotus species converted β-myrcene and related monoterpenes to furanoterpenoids [24]. The initial incorporation of dioxygen was similar to a 2 + 4 cycloaddition of 1,3-dienes and was followed by a spontaneous decay to furans. The cyclic peroxides 3,6-dihydro-4-(2-(3,3-dimethyloxiran-2-yl)ethyl)-1,2-dioxine and 5-(3,6-dihydro-1,2-dioxin-4-yl)-2-methylpentan-2-ol were identified as key intermediates.