Bacteria on Vetiver Roots Influence Properties of Essential Oils

Filed in archive Microbiology on October 31, 2008

Photo courtesy of iStockphoto, Massimo Angelo Rossi

Vetiver grass is primarily cultivated not only to help control erosion in paddy fields, stream banks and terraces, but also for the essential oils extracted from its roots.

The Vetiver grass is the only grass cultivated specifically for its root essential oil, which is made up of chemicals called sesquiterpenes. These are used in plants as pheromones and juvenile hormones. The essential oils also contain alcohols and hydrocarbons, which, together with the sesquiterpenes are primarily used in perfumery and cosmetics.

Researchers found that bacterial populations present on Vetiver roots, however, not only help the essential oil production, but also change the molecular structure of the oil, thus influencing its flavours and properties: termicidal, insecticidal, antimicrobial and antioxidant. These bacterial populations include alpha-, beta- and gamma-proteobacteria, high-G+C Gram-positive bacteria as well as microbes which belong to the Fibrobacteres / Acidobacteria group.