Fungi as a Biotransformation Tool in Patchouli (Pogostemon patchouli Pellet) Essential Oil

: Five and half month old crop was harvested, sprayed with fifteen combinations of five fungi isolated from the rhizosphere of patchouli and incubated for five days. The essential oil was extracted by hydrodistillation and analysed by Gas Chromatography. The components of patchouli oil were identified by Gas chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS). Twenty compounds were identified with Patchouli alcohol as the major component followed by bulnesene. The oil content was in the range 1-1.65 % ( v/w) on fresh weight basis. Treatment T2 (Aspergillus terreus) was found to be statistically superior with high patchouli alcohol (58.720.39) and low amount of other sesquiterpenes (trans-caryophyllene (2.210.05), Guaiene (9.890.43), -Patchoulene (2.560.04) and -Bulnesene (8.430.8). This indicated an enzymatic bioconversion of precursor molecules to patchouli alcohol by the fungi.