Musty odor from blue‐green alga, Phormidium tenue in Lake Kasumigaura

Abstract

A musty odor compound, 2‐methylisoborneol was detected in the water of Lake Kasumigaura located in the south‐east part of Japan. There was a significant relationship between the intensity of the musty odor and trichome numbers of Phormidium tenue during the odor episodes. It was considered that 2‐methylisqborneol, which was produced by the unialgal culture of P. tenue isolated from the lake, might be responsible for the musty odor occurrence in the lake.