Transformation of 1-Menthene by a Cladosporium: Accumulation of beta-Isopropyl Glutaric Acid in the Growth Medium.

An organism isolated from soil samples collected near a terpene plant grew in the presence of 1-menthene, with no other major source of carbon and energy. The organism was tentatively identified as a member of the genus Cladosporium. When this organism was grown in the presence of 1-menthene, with no other major source of carbon, substantial quantities of beta-isopropyl glutaric acid accumulated in the fermentation medium. beta-Isopropyl glutaric acid is probably an end product of the degradation of 1-menthene by the organism.