Detection of Lipid Degradation Products in the Water of a Reservoir During a Bloom of Synura uvella

A stripping method was used to determine the volatile compounds present in the raw water of a reservoir during a heavy bloom of Synura uvella. Besides numerous pollution products, a large number of previously unidentified algal excretion products were determined, including alkenes, alcohols, ketones, aldehydes, and nor-carotenoids. The approximate amounts of some important algal excretion products present in the raw water are stated. Their biosynthetic origin and possible function in the ecosystem are discussed. The offensive cod liver oil-like odor which Synura imparts to the raw water was traceable to trans,cis-deca-2,4-dienal and minor amounts of trans,cis-hepta-2,4-dienal.