Identification of Bacteria and Fungi Inhabiting Fruiting Bodies of Burgundy Truffle (Tuber aestivum Vittad.)

Summary

This research investigated the microscopic organisms living inside Burgundy truffles, revealing complex communities of bacteria and fungi. Understanding these microbial communities is crucial for truffle cultivation and production. Impacts on everyday life: – Helps improve truffle cultivation methods for food production – Advances understanding of how microorganisms affect truffle flavor and quality – Contributes to knowledge about soil and plant microbiomes important for agriculture – Provides insights into preserving and storing truffles – Helps explain why individual truffles can taste different

Background

Truffles are hypogeous ascomycetous fungi that form ectomycorrhizae with trees and shrubs. The fruiting bodies of truffles host diverse microorganisms including bacteria, fungi and viruses at all stages of development. Understanding these microbial communities is important for truffle cultivation and production.

Objective

To investigate the structure of microbial communities inhabiting the gleba (inner tissue) of wild growing Tuber aestivum fruiting bodies using both Illumina sequencing and culture-based methods.

Results

Analysis identified nine phyla of bacteria in the gleba, with Proteobacteria (particularly family Bradyrhizobiaceae) being most abundant. Six alien fungal species from three phyla were detected through metagenomic analysis. Culture-based methods identified 10 additional cultivable fungal species and multiple strains of Bacillus bacteria not detected in the metagenomic analysis.

Conclusion

Individual T. aestivum fruiting bodies possessed different microbiomes despite being at the same maturation stage. The core bacterial microbiome was similar to other Tuber species, dominated by Bradyrhizobiaceae. The study revealed previously unknown fungal inhabitants of T. aestivum and highlighted the complementary nature of molecular and culture-based approaches for studying truffle microbiomes.
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