Open AccessMicrobial transformation of a tertiary allylalcohol: regioselective isomerisation of linalool to geraniol without nerol formation
Author(s) -
Foß Sabine,
Harder Jens
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
fems microbiology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.899
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1574-6968
pISSN - 0378-1097
DOI - 10.1111/j.1574-6968.1997.tb10310.x
Subject(s) - nerol , geraniol , isomerization , linalool , regioselectivity , chemistry , organic chemistry , stereochemistry , food science , catalysis , essential oil
Linalool is a natural monoterpenoic allylalcohol with a tertiary alcohol group. The initial reaction of linalool degradation under anoxic conditions was studied in nitrate‐limited cultures of a recently isolated denitrifying bacterium, strain 47Lol. The primary allylalcohol geraniol was detected in the stationary phase of cultures grown on linalool. Geranial and linalool appeared in the medium of geraniol‐fed cultures. Nerol was not isomerised to geraniol or linalool. It was oxidised to neral, but not further degraded. These observations indicate the presence of a new enzyme reaction, a 3,1‐hydroxyl‐Δ 1 ‐Δ 2 ‐mutase that regioselectively isomerises linalool and geraniol.