Volatile Organic Compounds Emitted by Fungal Associates of Conifer Bark Beetles and their Potential in Bark Beetle Control

Conifer bark beetles attack and kill mature spruce and pine trees, especially during hot and dry conditions. These beetles are closely associated with ophiostomatoid fungi of the Ascomycetes, including the genera Ophiostoma, Grosmannia, and Endoconidiophora, which enhance beetle success by improving nutrition and modifying their substrate, but also have negative impacts on beetles by attracting predators and parasites. A survey of the literature and our own data revealed that ophiostomatoid fungi emit a variety of volatile organic compounds under laboratory conditions including fusel alcohols, terpenoids, aromatic compounds, and aliphatic alcohols. Many of these compounds already have been shown to elicit behavioral responses from bark beetles, functioning as attractants or repellents, often as synergists to compounds currently used in bark beetle control. Thus, these compounds could serve as valuable new agents for bark beetle management. However, bark beetle associations with fungi are very complex. Beetle behavior varies with the species of fungus, the stage of the beetle life cycle, the host tree quality, and probably with changes in the emission rate of fungal volatiles. Additional research on bark beetles and their symbiotic associates is necessary before the basic significance of ophiostomatoid fungal volatiles can be understood and their applied potential realized

Identification of chemicals, possibly originating from misuse of refillable PET bottles, responsible for consumer complaints about off-odours in water and soft drinks

Mineral water and soft drinks with a perceptible off-odour were analysed to identify contaminants originating from previous misuse of the refillable polyethylene terephthalate ( PET) bottle. Consumers detected the off-odour after opening the bottle and duly returned it with the remaining content to the producers. The contaminants in question had thus been undetected by the in-line detection devices (so-called 'sniffers') that are supposed to reject misused bottles. GC-MS analysis was carried out on the headspace of 31 returned products and their corresponding reference products, and chromatograms were compared to find the possible off-odour compounds. Substances believed to be responsible for the organoleptic change were 2-methoxynaphthalene (10 bottles), dimethyl disulfide (4), anethole (3), petroleum products (4), ethanol with isoamyl alcohol (1) and a series of ethers (1). The mouldy/musty odour (5 bottles) was caused by trichloroanisole in one instance. In some cases, the origins of the off-odours are believed to be previous consumer misuse of food products (liquorice-flavoured alcohol, home-made alcohol containing fusel oil) or non-food products (cleaning products, petroleum products, oral moist snuff and others). The results also apply to 1.5-litre recyclable PET bottles, since the nature and extent of consumer misuse can be expected to be similar for the two bottle types

Migration of model contaminants from PET bottles: influence of temperature, food simulant and functional barrier

To simulate post-consumer recycled plastics, selected model contaminants were incorporated into PET bottles using a time saving method. Migration into 3% acetic acid, a cola-type beverage and 95% ethanol was followed during 1 year of storage at 20 and 40degreesC. Aroma compounds previously found in post-consumer PET material were used as model contaminants. Benzaldehyde was found to migrate to the highest extent. Storage at 40degreesC affected the bottle material and this might be one reason for the high migration values of these bottles. Migration into ethanol was up to 20 times higher than into 3% acetic acid or a cola-type beverage. Bottles with a functional barrier resisted migration into food simulants even when filled with 95% ethanol and stored for I year at 40degreesC. Differential scanning calorimetry measurements showed that ethanol was interacting with the plastic material. This resulted in a lower glass transition temperature of bottles stored with ethanol compared with bottles stored empty or with other food simulants

Non-Host Volatile Blend Optimization for Forest Protection against the European Spruce Bark Beetle, Ips typographus

Conifer feeding bark beetles (Coleoptera, Curculionidae, Scolytinae) pose a serious economic threat to forest production. Volatiles released by non-host angiosperm plants (so called non-host volatiles, NHV) have been shown to reduce the risk of attack by many bark beetle species, including the European spruce bark beetle, Ips typographus. However, the most active blend for I. typographus, containing three green leaf volatiles (GLVs) in addition to the key compounds trans-conophthorin (tC) and verbenone, has been considered too expensive for use in large-scale management. To lower the cost and improve the applicability of NHV, we aim to simplify the blend without compromising its anti-attractant potency. Since the key compound tC is expensive in pure form, we also tested a crude version: technical grade trans-conophthorin (T-tC). In another attempt to find a more cost effective substitute for tC, we evaluated a more readily synthesized analog: dehydroconophthorin (DHC). Our results showed that 1-hexanol alone could replace the three-component GLV blend containing 1-hexanol, (3Z)-hexen-1-ol, and (2E)-hexen-1-ol. Furthermore, the release rate of tC could be reduced from 5 mg/day to 0.5 mg/day in a blend with 1-hexanol and (-)-verbenone without compromising the anti-attractant activity. We further show that T-tC was comparable with tC, whereas DHC was a less effective anti-attractant. DHC also elicited weaker physiological responses in the tC-responding olfactory receptor neuron class, providing a likely mechanistic explanation for its weaker anti-attractive effect. Our results suggest a blend consisting of (-)-verbenone, 1-hexanol and technical trans-conophthorin as a cost-efficient anti-attractant for forest protection against I. typographus