Abstract:
Sri Lanka is the world's largest producer of the highest quality cinnamon quills, with distinct
grades such as Alba, Continental (C grade), Mexican (M grade), and Hamburg (H grade). The
cinnamon production process involves harvesting, processing, drying, grading, and potential
cutting or grinding for the final product, often in powder form. The principal compound in
cinnamon bark is trans-cinnamaldehyde. A malodorous compound, identified as styrene through
GC-MS analysis, is formed with cinnamon powder over time due to microbial activity. This study
focuses on identifying the microbes responsible for styrene production in cinnamon powder. Two
samples of cinnamon machine powder categorized as old and fresh, were used for the analysis.
Potential microorganisms from both samples were allowed to be grown on Potato Dextrose Agar
(PDA) (with Chloramphenicol) and Luria Berta (LB) (with Amphotericin B) plates and their macro
and micro-morphological characteristics were observed. In the old cinnamon machine powder
sample five fungal species were isolated, while the fresh sample yielded one fungal species.
Notably, one colony from old and fresh cinnamon powder samples exhibited both fungal and
bacterial characteristics. Genomic DNA extracted, using the GES method, amplified a 550 bp PCR
product for the ITS region, while no specific single band was obtained for the 16S rRNA gene
suggesting that the unknown species is likely fungal. The morphological identification indicated
characteristics of Aspergillus species when grown on PDA medium. This research revealed the
possible existence of a microbial consortium with fungal characteristics. Further studies on
microbial composition of cinnamon machine powder and its potential link to the formation of
styrene may contribute valuable insights for quality control in the cinnamon industry.
