BIODEGRADATION OF A MUSTY ODOR COMPONENT, 2-METHYLISOBORNEOL

Two different types of bacteria were isolated from the backwash water of a pilot plant of biological filter at Lake Biwa (Japan). Two strain s of the bacteria belonging to Pseudomonas sp. and Enterobacter sp. de graded 2-methylisoborneol (2-MIB) to afford 2-methylcamphene and 2-met hylenebornane as the dehydration products, and another one belonging t o Enterobacter sp. oxidatively decomposed 2-methyleneborane to mainly three degradation products. Camphor and 4,7,7-trimethyl-2-oxabicyclo[2 ,2,1]-heptan-3-one, together with the above two dehydration products, were identified by the gas chromatographic analysis using unambiguousl y synthesized authentic compounds.