Earthy-Musty Odor-Producing Cyanophytes Isolated from Five Water Areas in Tokyo

Two kinds of 2-methylisoborneol-producing blue-green algae, Oscillatoriageminata and O.limnetica, and three kinds of geosmin-producing algae, O.amoena, O.splendida, and Aphanizomenonflos-aquae, were isolated from a park pond, a fish-cultivation pond, a river, and a reservoir. An oscillatorian species isolated from an air conditioning cooling tower was shown to yield both 2-methylisoborneol and geosmin simultaneously. Care was taken to ensure that the blue-green algae identified were those responsible for the musty odor compounds.

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The relationship between musty-odor-causing organisms and water quality in Lake Biwa

Water Science & Technology ◽

10.2166/wst.1995.0426 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 31 (11) ◽

pp. 153-158 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

M. Kajino ◽

K. Sakamoto

Keyword(s):

Water Quality ◽

Data Analysis ◽

Green Algae ◽

Analytical Methods ◽

Lake Biwa ◽

Blue Green Algae ◽

Odor Compounds ◽

Musty Odor ◽

The Relationship

Musty odor has occurred annually in Lake Biwa since 1969. Osaka municipal waterworks, which is located downstream of Lake Biwa, has made many efforts to treat musty-odor compounds produced in Lake Biwa from spring through autumn. With the development of analytical methods for the determination of musty-odor compounds, we have been able to confirm that planktonic blue-green algae are the major causes of the musty-odor occurrences. The relationship between the growth of blue-green algae and the water quality was not so apparent. However, through our data analysis focusing on the relationship between musty-odor occurrences due to Phormidium tenue or Oscillatoria tenuis and some nutrients in Lake Biwa, we found that the concentration of nitrate in water may be an important parameter for the estimation of growth of the algae and the musty-odor behavior.

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Blue-Green Algae in Lake Biwa Which Produce Earthy-Musty Odors

Water Science & Technology ◽

10.2166/wst.1988.0232 ◽

1988 ◽

Vol 20 (8-9) ◽

pp. 117-123 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

T. Negoro ◽

M. Ando ◽

N. Ichikawa

Keyword(s):

Water Supply ◽

Green Algae ◽

Lake Biwa ◽

Supply System ◽

Surrounding Water ◽

Blue Green Algae ◽

Kyoto City ◽

Off Flavors ◽

Musty Odor ◽

Odorous Compounds

Since 1969, earthy-musty odor problems have frequently occurred in the water supply system of Kyoto City. Though the causes of these off-flavors were identified as 2-methylisoborneol (MIB) and geosmln, the causative organisms were not identified until recently. Now three species of planktonic blue-green algae from Lake Biwa have been identified as playing important roles in such problems. From the unlalgal culture of each alga, Anabaenamacrospora Klebahn was shown to produce geosmln, and both Phormidiumtenue (Meneghini) Gomont and Oscillatoriatenuis Agardh to produce MIB. These odorous compounds were found to be mainly stored in trlchomes, although it was once thought that they were dissolved in the surrounding water. Therefore, most of the odorous compounds can be removed from the water when the causative algae are removed.

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Freeze-Fracture Replication in the Ultrastructure of Blue-Green Algae

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100060386 ◽

1967 ◽

Vol 25 ◽

pp. 74-75

Author(s):

L. V. Leak

Keyword(s):

Cell Wall ◽

Electron Microscope ◽

Green Algae ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

Freeze Fracture ◽

Electron Microscopic ◽

Photosynthetic Membranes ◽

Blue Green Algae ◽

Cell Biol ◽

Cellular Components

Electron microscopic observations of freeze-fracture replicas of Anabaena cells obtained by the procedures described by Bullivant and Ames (J. Cell Biol., 1966) indicate that the frozen cells are fractured in many different planes. This fracturing or cleaving along various planes allows one to gain a three dimensional relation of the cellular components as a result of such a manipulation. When replicas that are obtained by the freeze-fracture method are observed in the electron microscope, cross fractures of the cell wall and membranes that comprise the photosynthetic lamellae are apparent as demonstrated in Figures 1 & 2.A large portion of the Anabaena cell is composed of undulating layers of cytoplasm that are bounded by unit membranes that comprise the photosynthetic membranes. The adjoining layers of cytoplasm are closely apposed to each other to form the photosynthetic lamellae. Occassionally the adjacent layers of cytoplasm are separated by an interspace that may vary in widths of up to several 100 mu to form intralamellar vesicles.

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