Mannitol and arabitol, metabolic products produced by Lasiodiplodia theobromae in wood

During HPLC characterization of sugars in ethanolic extracts from small woo d blocks of birch and pine incubated with the blue stain Lasiodiplodia theo bromae, an unknown peak was revealed. The nature of the components comprisi ng the peak were subsequently identified using GC-MS a,ld NMR and shown to be mannitol and arabitol; the amount of both compounds was quantitatively g reatest for bir ch,wood and absent in control wood samples.