The Mechanism of Isoamyl Alcohol Formation Using Tracer Techniques

Abstract

The mechanism of the formation of isoamyl alcohol during alcoholic fermentation was studied by using radioactive leucine and isovaleraldehyde and determining the percentage of isoamyl alcohol derived from these precursors. The results partially confirm previous work in this field, but also indicate that the ultimate precursor of isoamyl alcohol is to be found in the fermentable sugar. The technique used is a general one, and may be adapted to a variety of fermentation problems.