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Background: Eugenol is an economically favorable substrate for the microbial biotransformation of aromatic compounds. Coniferyl aldehyde is one kind of aromatic compound that is widely used in condiment and medical industries; it is also an important raw material for producing other valuable products such as vanillin and protocatechuic acid. However, in most eugenol biotransformation processes, only a trace amount of coniferyl aldehyde is detected, thus making these processes economically unattractive. As a result, an investigation of new strains with the capability of producing more coniferyl aldehyde from eugenol is required. Results: We screened a novel strain of Gibberella fujikuroi, labeled as ZH-34, which was capable of transforming eugenol to coniferyl aldehyde. The metabolic pathway was analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry and transformation kinetics. The culture medium and biotransformation conditions were optimized. At a 6 h time interval of eugenol fed-batch strategy, 3.76 ± 0.22 g/L coniferyl aldehyde was obtained, with the corresponding yield of 57.3%. Conclusions: This work improves the yield of coniferyl aldehyde with a biotechnological approach. Moreover, the fed-batch strategy offers possibility for controlling the target product and accumulating different metabolites.How to cite: Chen P-C, Zhang H, Zheng P. Direct biodegradation of eugenol into coniferyl aldehyde and other higher value-added products by Gibberella fujikuroi ZH-34. Electron J Biotechnol 2019;38. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejbt.2018.12.001. Keywords: Aromatic compounds, Biodegradation, Biotechnology industry, Biotransformation, Coniferyl aldehyde, Eugenol, Fed-batch strategy, Fed-batch, Gibberella fujikuroi, Microbial biotechnology, Natural renewable resources