FATE OF BRANCHED-CHAIN FATTY-ACIDS IN ANAEROBIC ENVIRONMENT OF RIVER SEDIMENT

The fate of six different branched-chain fatty acids (BCFAs) in an ana erobic environment of a river sediment was studied in vitro by culturi ng enrichment consortia. The anaerobic consortium of BCFA-degrading ge nus degraded BCFAs with tertiary carbons through beta-oxidation, follo wed by methanogenesis by methane-producing anaerobic bacteria. The con sortium could not degrade BCFAs with quaternary carbon. Degree of bran ching at the alpha or beta position along the carbon chain interfered with the beta-oxidation mechanisms of the branched-chain fatty acid.