The Degradation of p-Coumaryl Alcohol by Aspergillus flavus

Summary: Aspergillus flavus utilized p-coumaryl alcohol, one of the major constituents of lignin, as sole carbon source. The following compounds were isolated from the growth medium and identified by means of their melting points, IR, NMR and mass spectra: p-coumaric acid, p-hydroxybenzoic acid and protocatechuic acid. Culture filtrates from mycelium grown on p-[1-14C]coumaryl alcohol contained p-[14C]coumaric acid, β-hydroxy-(p-hydroxyphenyl)[14C]propionic acid, (p-hydroxybenzoyl)[14C]acetic acid and [14C]acetic acid. Oxidation of protocatechuic acid by crude cell-free extracts formed β-ketoadipic acid, which was isolated and characterized. A pathway for the degradation of p-coumaryl alcohol by Aspergillus flavus is proposed.