G. Fischer et al., Species-specific production of microbial volatile organic compounds (MVOC)by airborne fungi from a compost facility, CHEMOSPHERE, 39(5), 1999, pp. 795-810
Thirteen airborne fungal species frequently isolated in composting plants w
ere screened for microbial volatile organic compounds (MVOC), i.e., Aspergi
llus candidus, A. fumigalus, A. versicolor, Emericella nidulans, Paecilomyc
es variotii, Penicillium brevicompactum, Penicillium clavigerum, Penicilliu
m crustosum, Penicillium cyclopium, Penicillium expansum, Penicillium glabr
um, Penicillium verruculosum, and Tritirachium oryzae. Air samples from pur
e cultures were sorbed on Tenax GR and analyzed by thermal desorption in co
mbination with GC/MS. Various hydrocarbons of different chemical groups and
a large number of terpenes were identified. Some compounds such as 3-methy
l-1-butanol and 1-octen-3-ol were produced by a number of species, whereas
some volatiles were specific for single species. An inventory of microbial
metabolites will allow identification of potential health hazards due to an
exposure to fungal propagules and metabolites in the workplace. Moreover,
species-specific volatiles may serve as marker compounds for the selective
detection of fungal species in indoor domestic and working environments. (C
) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.