Microbes at work in perfumery: odorous compounds from free-living and symbiotic bacteria living on plants and humans

Abstract

Bacteria synthesise an extremely rich repertoire of odorous compounds. Unfortunately this feature is not much known and bacteria are more often associated with the bad smell of rotting material. The focus of this review is on the capability of bacteria to synthesize odorous volatiles, either when they are free-living in soil and aquatic environments or when they establish symbiotic association with plants and animals, with specific reference to humans. In particular, the biological and ecological significance of bacterial volatiles and their biotechnological perspectives are covered in this present work