Italian microbiologists Pietro Alifano and Luigi Del Giudice, and plant biologist Massimo Maffei, have found bacteria in the root of the tropical Vetiver grass whose oils are used in the cosmetic and perfume industries.

The bacteria seem to not only promote the production of essential oils, but they also may change the structure of the oil - giving it different flavors as well as antioxidant, antimicrobial, insecticidal and termicidal properties

The Vetiver grass is the only grass cultivated specifically for its root essential oil, which is made up of chemicals called sesquiterpenes. These are used in plants as pheromones and juvenile hormones. The essential oils also contain alcohols and hydrocarbons, which, together with the sesquiterpenes are primarily used in perfumery and cosmetics. The perfumery and flavouring industry could benefit from the increased variety that these bacteria provide to the smells and tastes of these oils.

The bacteria responsible for this transformation include alpha-, beta- and gamma-proteobacteria, high-G+C Gram-positive bacteria as well as microbes which belong to the Fibrobacteres / Acidobacteria group.

"This research opens new frontiers in the biotech arena of natural bioactive compounds" said Professor Alifano "Pharmaceutical, perfumery and flavouring industries may now exploit the selected microbial strains and widen their metabolic libraries".

"The ecological role of plant-microbial associations shows another fascinating aspect" said Professor Maffei "The metabolic interplay between a plant, which offers a few simple molecules, with root bacteria, that biotransform them into an array of bioactive compounds, increases fitness and reveals new cost-efficient survival strategies."

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