Geosmin, the Typical Earthy Smell Released by Mold Fungi and Other Microbes (IMAGE)

Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology

Geosmin, the Typical Earthy Smell Released by Mold Fungi and Other Microbes

Caption

Geosmin, the typical earthy smell released by mold fungi and other microbes. In the picture is its chemical structure − a bicyclic alcohol − as well as a rotting orange infested with a Penicillium fungus. Although geosmin is very widely spread in nature, it is produced and released only by certain microbes.

Credit

Photo/Collage: Cell Press / Elsevier / Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology / Stensmyr

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