Bioproduction of Perillyl Alcohol and Related Monoterpenes by Isolates of Bacillus stearothermophilus

Bacillus stearothermophilus BR388 was isolated from orange peel by an enrichment culture using (+)‐limonene. The thermophilic isolate exhibited growth between 45 and 68°C., with optimum growth near 55°C. BR388 could grow on limonene as a sole carbon source, but grew and degraded limonene more effectively when supplemented with small amounts of yeast extract. Perillyl alcohol was the major conversion product, with α‐terpineol and perillyl aldehyde as minor products. Strains of B. stearothermophilus previously isolated from aromatic enrichments also grew on limonene, but had higher sensitivity to limonene toxicity than did BR388.