The National Science Foundation (IOS-1655438) and the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (Hatch Project number 17784) funded this research.

In addition to Dudareva and Huang, Renqiuguo Li and Jianxin Fu participated in the research and are co-authors of the paper. To also see within it proteins that embody a structure discovered by and named after a fellow faculty member adds a special connection. We now have mapped out almost all of the genes and pathways responsible for petunia scent compounds. “Purdue is all over the petunia,” Dudareva said. They form what is called the Rossmann fold, named after the late Purdue professor and renowned structural biologist Michael Rossmann. Their work found the protein subunits have an interesting structure, as well. However, we noticed the presence of two components of half the size of our estimate, and we thought maybe there are two subunits.”įurther proteomic and genetic testing confirmed their idea and revealed the genes involved. “We weren’t finding a good indication of a single protein within that estimate. “We estimate the size of the protein we are hunting in addition to other things we have learned about the pathway,” he said. This was because of the enzyme’s uncommon need for two subunits to function, or heterodimeric structure, he said.īecause of this, earlier analysis methods looking for a single component appeared to fail. “We tried newer techniques, but it took a classical approach to reveal it.” “The gene directly responsible and enzyme needed for benzaldehyde synthesis were a mystery,” he said. The team found that synthesis of benzaldehyde in petunia petals involves an enzyme consisting of two subunits that must combine in equal amounts to activate, said Xing-Qi Huang, an author of the paper and postdoctoral researcher in Dudareva’s lab.

The biosynthetic pathway will likely be genetically transferred to yeast or other microbes to incorporate it into the fermentation process widely used in food and beverage production, she said. Huang stands among petunia flowers he used in his work on the biosynthetic pathways of flavor and aroma compounds. Xing-Qi Huang, post-doctoral research in Purdue’s Department of Biochemistry in the College of Agriculture. “The alternative to synthesis is truly extracting a compound from plants, but only 1.5% of the benzaldehyde in worldwide production is obtained this way.” “The goal is to have the natural process found in plants, and this discovery makes that possible for a very important flavor compound,” Dudareva said. The work is detailed in a paper in Nature Communications, and a patent on the process is pending. Benzaldehyde has an especially puzzling biosynthetic pathway, and it wasn’t completely revealed until now.”ĭudareva and her team studied the scent of petunia flowers to discover the molecular recipe for benzaldehyde. “It is much better and safer to use an entirely natural pathway to a flavor compound, but it is difficult to discover all of the steps. “When chemical reactions are added in to fill the gaps, it can be a problem,” said Dudareva, who also is director of Purdue’s Center for Plant Biology.

When steps in the molecular recipe are missing, chemicals outside of the natural processes are used in commercial production, she explained. “That scent attracts pollinators and, in addition to those fruits, it is found in other plants, including petunias.”īiochemists track down the molecular recipes, called biosynthetic pathways, that make these compounds and allow them to be bottled into different flavors for the products we enjoy. “Benzaldehyde is what gives that pleasant almond-like scent and is part of the aroma of many fruits,” said Natalia Dudareva, Distinguished Professor of Biochemistry in Purdue’s College of Agriculture, who led the team.

Dudareva led a team of researchers that mapped the biosynthetic pathway of benzaldehyde, one of the most valuable flavor compounds for the food industry. Natalia Dudareva, distinguished professor of biochemistry in Purdue’s College of Agriculture, stands in her laboratory.

Cherry flavor