Occurrence of Marine Ingredients in Fragrance: Update on the State of Knowledge

The fragrance field of perfumes has attracted considerable scientific, industrial, cultural, and civilizational interest. The marine odor is characterized by the specific smell of sea breeze, seashore, algae, and oyster, among others. Marine odor is a more recent fragrance and is considered as one of the green and modern fragrances. The smells reproducing the marine environment are described due to their content of Calone 1951 (7-methyl-2H-1,5-benzodioxepin-3(4H)-one), which is a synthetic compound. In addition to the synthetic group of benzodioxepanes, such as Calone 51 and its derivatives, three other groups of chemical compounds seem to represent the marine smell. The first group includes the polyunsaturated cyclic ((+)-Dictyopterene A) and acyclic (giffordene) hydrocarbons, acting as pheromones. The second group corresponds to polyunsaturated aldehydes, such as the (Z,Z)-3,6-nonadienal, (E,Z)-2,6-nonadienal, which are most likely derived from the degradation of polyunsaturated fatty acids. The third group is represented by small molecules such as sulfur compounds and halogenated phenols which are regarded as the main flavor compounds of many types of seafood. This review exposes, most notably, the knowledge state on the occurrence of marine ingredients in fragrance. We also provide a detailed discussion on several aspects of essential oils, which are the most natural ingredients from various marine sources used in fragrance and cosmetics, including synthetic and natural marine ingredients.

Inclusion of photoautotrophic cultivated diatom biomass in salmon feed can deter lice

The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential of diatom (microalgae) biomass as a lice-reducing ingredient in salmon feed. The original hypothesis was based on the fact that polyunsaturated aldehydes (PUAs), e.g. 2-trans, 4-trans decadenial (A3) produced by diatoms can function as grazing deterrents and harm copepod development. Salmon lice (Lepeophtheirus salmonis) is a copepod, and we intended to test if inclusion of diatom biomass in the feed could reduce the infestation of lice on salmon. We performed experiments where salmon kept in tanks were offered four different diets, i.e. basic feed with diatoms, fish oil, Calanus sp. oil or rapeseed oil added. After a feeding period of 67 days a statistically representative group of fishes, tagged with diet group origin, were pooled in a 4000L tank and exposed to salmon lice copepodites whereafter lice infestation was enumerated. Salmon from all four diet groups had good growth with SGR values from 1.29 to 1.44% day-1 (increase from ca. 130 g to 350 g). At the termination of the experiment the number of lice on salmon offered diatom feed were statistically significantly lower than on salmon fed the other diets. Mean lice infestation values increased from diatom feed through Calanus and fish oil to standard feed with terrestrial plant ingredients. Analysis of the chemical composition of the different diets (fatty acids, amino acids) failed to explain the differences in lice infestation. The only notable result was that diatom and Calanus feed contained more FFA (free fatty acids) than feed with fish oil and the control feed. None of the potential deleterious targeted polyunsaturated aldehydes could be detected in skin samples of the salmon. What was exclusive for salmon that experienced reduced lice was diatom inclusion in the feed. This therefore still indicates the presence of some lice deterring ingredient, either in the feed, or an ingredient can have triggered production of an deterrent in the fish. An obvious follow up of this will be to perform experiments with different degrees of diatom inclusion in the feeds, i.e. dose response experiments combined with targeted PUA analyses, as well as to perform large scale experiments under natural conditions in aquaculture pens.

Impacts of biogenic polyunsaturated aldehydes on metabolism and community composition of particle-attached bacteria in coastal hypoxia

Eutrophication-driven coastal hypoxia has been of great interest for decades, though its mechanisms remain not fully understood. Here, we showed elevated concentrations of particulate and dissolved polyunsaturated aldehydes (PUAs) associated with the hypoxic waters in the bottom layer of a salt-wedge estuary. Bacterial respiration within the hypoxic waters was mainly contributed by particle-attached bacteria (PAB) (> 0.8 µm), with free-living bacteria (0.2–0.8 µm) only accounting for 25 %–30 % of the total rate. The concentrations of particle-adsorbed PUAs (∼ 10 µmol L−1) in the hypoxic waters were directly quantified for the first time based on large-volume filtration and subsequent on-site PUA derivation and extraction. PUA-amended incubation experiments for PAB (> 25 µm) associated with sinking or suspended particles retrieved from the low-oxygen waters were also performed to explore the impacts of PUAs on the growth and metabolism of PAB and associated oxygen utilization. We found an increase in cell growth of PAB in response to low-dose PUAs (1 µmol L−1) but an enhanced cell-specific bacterial respiration and production in response to high-dose PUAs (100 µmol L−1). Improved cell-specific metabolism of PAB in response to high-dose PUAs was also accompanied by a shift of PAB community structure with increased dominance of the genus Alteromonas within the Gammaproteobacteria. We thus conclude that a high PUA concentration associated with aggregate particles within the bottom layer may be crucial for some species within Alteromonas to regulate PAB community structure. The change in bacteria community could lead to an enhancement of oxygen utilization during the degradation of particulate organic matter and thus likely contribute to the formation of coastal hypoxia. These findings are potentially important for coastal systems with large river inputs, intense phytoplankton blooms driven by eutrophication, and strong hypoxia developed below the salt-wedge front.

Impacts of biogenic polyunsaturated aldehydes on metabolism and community composition of particle-attached bacteria in coastal hypoxia

Eutrophication-driven coastal hypoxia is of great interest recently, though its mechanisms are not fully understood. Here, we showed elevated concentrations of particulate and dissolved polyunsaturated aldehydes (PUAs) associated with the hypoxic waters meanly dominated by particle-attached bacteria (PAB) in the bottom water of a salt-wedge estuary. Particle-adsorbed PUAs of ~ 10 micromoles per liter particle in the hypoxic waters were directly quantified for the first time using large-volume-filtration followed with on-site derivation and extraction of the adsorbed PUAs. PUAs-amended incubation experiments for PAB retrieved from the low-oxygen waters were also performed to explore the impacts of PUAs on the growth and metabolism of PAB and associated oxygen utilization. We found an increase in cell growth of PAB in response to low-dose PUAs (1 μmol L−1) but an enhanced cell-specific metabolic activity in response to high-dose PUAs (100 μmol L−1) including bacterial respiration and production. Improved cell-specific metabolism of PAB in response to high-dose PUAs was also accompanied by a significant shift of PAB community structure with increased dominance of genus Alteromonas within the Gammaproteobacteria. We thus conclude that a high PUAs concentration within the bottom layer may be important for species such as Alteromonas to regulate PAB community structure and lead to the enhancement of oxygen utilization during the degradation of particulate organic matters and thus contribute to the formation of coastal hypoxia. These findings are potentially important for coastal systems with large river inputs, intense phytoplankton blooms driven by eutrophication, as well as strong hypoxia developed below the salt-wedge front.

Diatom-Derived Polyunsaturated Aldehydes Activate Similar Cell Death Genes in Two Different Systems: Sea Urchin Embryos and Human Cells

Programmed cell death, such as apoptosis and autophagy, are key processes that are activated early on during development, leading to remodelling in embryos and homeostasis in adult organisms. Genomic conservation of death factors has been largely investigated in the animal and plant kingdoms. In this study, we analysed, for the first time, the expression profile of 11 genes involved in apoptosis (extrinsic and intrinsic pathways) and autophagy in sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus embryos exposed to antiproliferative polyunsaturated aldehydes (PUAs), and we compared these results with those obtained on the human cell line A549 treated with the same molecules. We found that sea urchins and human cells activated, at the gene level, a similar cell death response to these compounds. Despite the evolutionary distance between sea urchins and humans, we observed that the activation of apoptotic and autophagic genes in response to cytotoxic compounds is a conserved process. These results give first insight on death mechanisms of P. lividus death mechanisms, also providing additional information for the use of this marine organism as a useful in vitro model for the study of cell death signalling pathways activated in response to chemical compounds.

Diatom-Derived Polyunsaturated Aldehydes Are Unlikely to Influence the Microbiota Composition of Laboratory-Cultured Diatoms

Diatom-derived oxylipins, including polyunsaturated aldehydes (PUA), are considered to have infochemical, allelochemical and bacteriostatic properties, with plausible roles as grazing deterrents and regulators of inter- and intraspecific competition. However, the extent and mechanisms of how PUA influence diatom–bacteria interactions remain unresolved. In this study, impacts on the diversity of the associated bacterial communities (microbiota) of two contrasting Skeletonema marinoi strains (a PUA and a non-PUA producer) were investigated under three nitrate conditions in batch culture. Further, the response of the culture microbiota was studied when spiked with PUA at ecologically relevant concentrations (86nM octadienal and 290nM heptadienal). Of the 741 identified OTUs, Proteobacteria was the most abundant phylum (62.10%), followed by Bacteroidetes (12.33%) and Firmicutes (6.11%). Escherichia/Shigella were the most abundant genera for all treatments. Similar communities were present in both spiked and non-spiked cultures suggesting they can tolerate PUA exposure at realistic concentrations. This study suggests that PUA are not major drivers of diatom–bacteria interactions in laboratory cultures.

Types and Distribution of Bioactive Polyunsaturated Aldehydes in a Gradient from Mesotrophic to Oligotrophic Waters in the Alborán Sea (Western Mediterranean)

Polyunsaturated aldehydes (PUAs) are bioactive molecules suggested as chemical defenses and infochemicals. In marine coastal habitats, diatoms reach high PUA production levels during bloom episodes. Two fractions of PUA can usually be analyzed: pPUA obtained via artificial breakage of collected phytoplankton cells and dissolved PUA already released to the environment (dPUA). In nature, resource supply arises as a main environmental controlling factor of PUA production. In this work, we monitored the vertical distribution and daily variation of pPUA associated with large-size phytoplankton and dPUA, at three sites located in the Alborán Sea from mesotrophic to oligotrophic waters. The results corroborate the presence of large-size PUA producers in oligotrophic and mesotrophic waters with a significant (58%–85%) diatom biomass. In addition to diatoms, significant correlations between pPUA production and dinoflagellate and silicoflagellate abundance were observed. 2E,4E/Z-Heptadienal was the most abundant aldehyde at the three sites with higher values (17.1 fg·cell−1) at the most oligotrophic site. 2E,4E/Z-Decadienal was the least abundant aldehyde, decreasing toward the oligotrophic site. For the first time, we describe the daily fluctuation of pPUA attributable to cellular physiological state and not exclusively to taxonomical composition. Our results demonstrate the persistence of threshold levels of dPUA deep in the water column, as well as the different chromatographic profiles of dPUA compared with pPUA. We propose different isomerization processes that alter the chemical structure of the released PUAs with unknown effects on their stability, biological function, and potential bioactivity.