Microbial metabolism of pyrazines

Abstract

Pyrazines are a group of 1,4 dinitrogen substituted benzenes. They have near ubiquitous biological distribution and majority are anthropogenic. The demand for pyrazines in the recent years has increased owing to their vast applications in the field of food, agriculture and medicine. They are widely distributed in plants, animals and microorganisms. Pyrazines are synthesized and degraded by a few bacteria and fungi. Microbial transformation of many pyrazines aided in the synthesis of several novel molecules. This review discusses the microbial metabolism of pyrazines. © 2011 Informa Healthcare USA, Inc.