Abstract:

Hexanol is an unfavorable flavor in food. Too much hexanol in food is harmful for human health. Screening and understanding diversity of hexanol-degrading microorganisms are helpful for biological degradation of hexanol and its potential application in food industry, which will provide basic information for further research on hexanol-degrading mechanisms. Soil around wastewater outfalls of hexanol-producing plants was used as the resources to screen hexanoldegrading microorganisms. After enrichment and isolation, 6 strains with degradation capability for hexanol were obtained. Based on morphological characteristics of colonies and spores, 6 strains were classified as fungi, which belonged to Fusarium Link, Geotrichum Link, Mucor Link and Aspergillus P. Micheliex Link, respectively. Geotrichum Link had 3 isolated strains, which exhibited higher hexanol-degrading capacity and wider suitability of pH. The strains in Geotrichum Link, S12 and S13 could result in the degradation of 3 g/L hexanol up to 60% under both neutral and acidic conditions. The rich diversity of hexanol-degrading strains in soil was reflected in species, ecology, degradation capacity, conditions and other aspects.

Key words: hexanol, diversity, hexanol-degrading strains, isolation, screening, identification