Tests on 106 dried pure cinnamon samples of diverse origins showed that some samples were naturally contaminated with high levels of styrene, up to 524 microg/g. Styrene taint can be associated with high water activity levels and thus with microorganism growth. The mold flora of a Korintji cinnamon sample in which styrene had been found at a 50 microg/g concentration was analyzed and 5 species of mold were isolated. An investigation into the ability of the 5 species of mold to produce styrene showed that 3 of them--namely, Penicillium citrinum, Penicillium oxalicum, Aspergillus niger--produced styrene in vitro in buffered peptone water at 25 degrees C within 5 d in the presence of several natural cinnamon volatile constituents containing the styrene structure. The conversion of these compounds into styrene by these 3 cinnamon fungal species has never been previously reported. A standardized inoculation with the 3 mold species was carried out on 10 g cinnamon samples of various origins followed by a 10-d incubation and highlighting styrene production except for Sri Lanka origin.