Abstract

ROJAS, JENNIFER PILAR; PEREA, JANETH AIDE  and  ORTIZ, CLAUDIA CRISTINA. EVALUATION OF THE BIOTRANSFORMATION OF GERANIOL AND (R)-(+)-α-PINENE USING CELL OF Rhodococcus opacus DSM 44313. Rev.Bio.Agro [online]. 2009, vol.7, n.2, pp. 104-112. ISSN 1692-3561.

The high bioavailability of monoterpenes make them promising precursors in biotransformation processes, through which produce value-added compounds that can be considered natural because they are obtained by enzymatic methods from precursors isolated from nature. In the present study we evaluated the biotransformation of geraniol and (R)-(+)-α-pinene using a bacterial strain of Rhodococcus opacus DSM 44313; the influence of growth time bacterial was determined taking cell suspensions in the middle and finishing the exponential phase. Also three reaction times (12, 24 and 48 h) and the effect of a cosolvent were evaluated, adding the substrate pure and dissolved in ethanol at 10%. From geraniol were obtained geranial, geranic acid and 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one, only when the substrate was added pure, and were formed in highest concentration when the bacteria was finalizing its exponential phase growth. With (R)-(+)-α-pinene the (R)-(+)-cis-verbenol was formed as the main compound, with a higher concentration adding the pinene dissolved in ethanol, and when the bacteria was in the middle of its exponential phase growth. The results indicate that the behavior of the bacteria changes according to the substrate added, because the properties of each monoterpene, but the compounds obtained with the two substrates have important applications in pharmaceutical, food and perfumery industries

Keywords : Biotransformation; geraniol; (R)-(+)-α-pinene; Rhodococcus opacus; geranic acid; 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one; (R)-(+)-cis-verbenol.