Production in food of 1,3-pentadiene and styrene by Trichoderma species.
The ability of two strains of Trichoderma, isolated from food, to produce the Volatile Organic Compounds 1,3-pentadiene and styrene was investigated. One of the strains had been implicated in a case of food spoilage involving the production of both compounds. In vitro in potato dextrose broth, the strains produced both 1,3-pentadiene and styrene within 5 days in the presence of sorbic acid and cinnamic acid. The taints were produced only in the presence of sorbic acid and cinnamic acid and were not synthesised de novo under the test conditions. Neither the conversion of cinnamic acid to styrene, nor the conversion of sorbic acid to 1,3-pentadiene by Trichoderma strains in foods has been previously reported. The range of organisms implicated in these types of spoilage is thus extended.
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Biosciences, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), PO Box 395, Pretoria 0001, South Africa. query@csir.co.za
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D000466:Alkadienes / Q000378:metabolism*; D003257:Consumer Product Safety; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000032:analysis*; D005516:Food Microbiology; D006801:Humans; D010420:Pentanes / Q000378:metabolism*; D020058:Styrene / Q000378:metabolism*; D014242:Trichoderma / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*
D000466:Alkadienes; D010420:Pentanes; D020058:Styrene; C011970:1,3-pentadiene