Vanillin, a common flavoring agent, is produced from ground black vanilla bean pods. Vanillin can also be produced from the biodegradation of lignin, a paper manufacturing byproduct and also the second most abundant naturally-occuring biopolymer. Regarding vanilly-alcohol oxidase, Dr. Willem J.H. van Berkel (personal communication, 2001) states, "Vanillyl alcohol is not a growth substrate for the fungus. The enzyme is only induced by growth on veratryl alcohol, anisyl alcohol and 4-(methoxymethyl)phenol. We have found that the latter compound is the only inducer which is converted by the enzyme." Demethylation of 4-methoxybenzoate is also included in the pathway. 4-Methoxybenzoate monooxygenase O-demethylates 4-methoxybenzoate in the presence of molecular oxygen and of NAD(P)H as electron donor ([http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3226294|Bernhardt et al., 1988]). This EAWAG-BBD pathway is arbitrarily chosen as a "trunk" pathway, one which funnels the products of other pathways to intermediary metabolism.