Anaerobic degradation of veratrylglycerol-beta-guaiacyl ether and guaiacoxyacetic acid by mixed rumen bacteria.
Veratrylglycerol-beta-guaiacyl ether (0.2 g/liter), a lignin model compound, was found to be degraded by mixed rumen bacteria in a yeast extract medium under strictly anaerobic conditions to the extent of 19% within 24 h. Guaiacoxyacetic acid, 2-(o-methoxyphenoxy)ethanol, vanillic acid, and vanillin were detected as degradation products of veratrylglycerol-beta-guaiacyl ether by thin-layer chromatography, gas chromatography, and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Guaiacoxyacetic acid (0.25 g/liter), when added into the medium as a substrate, was entirely degraded within 36 h, resulting in the formation of phenoxyacetic acid, guaiacol, and phenol. These results suggest that the beta-arylether bond, an important intermonomer linkage in lignin, can be cleaved completely by these rumen anaerobes.
D000693:Anaerobiosis; D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D002849:Chromatography, Gas; D002852:Chromatography, Ion Exchange; D002855:Chromatography, Thin Layer; D005260:Female; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D006016:Glycolates / Q000378:metabolism*; D006140:Guaifenesin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000378:metabolism; D007700:Kinetics; D010642:Phenoxyacetates / Q000378:metabolism*; D012417:Rumen / Q000382:microbiology*
D006016:Glycolates; D010642:Phenoxyacetates; C047159:veratrylglycerol-beta-guaiacyl ether; C047160:guaiacoxyacetic acid; D006140:Guaifenesin