Moroccan Trichoderma species: a distinctive source of volatile organic compounds

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in fungi are less studied compared to those produced by bacteria. In this study, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was used to identify the volatile compounds for the first time in four Moroccan Trichoderma strains. T. orientale, T. asperellum (1), Trichoderma sp. (3), and T. asperellum (2), which were isolated from saffron bulbs and compost, the observed fungal VOCs were identified using the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) library. According on the NIST database, sixty-six (66) VOCs were identified, belonging to various chemical families: monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes, diterpenes, alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, carboxylic acids, furans, terpenic alcohols, naphthalenes and aromatic hydrocarbons. In our study we found that, T. asperellum (2) produced the most VOCs with 45%, followed by Trichoderma sp. (3) 39%, T. orientale 30%, and T. asperellum (1) 29%. In addition to common VOCs produced like ethanol; 1-propanol, 2-methyl and 1-butanol, 3-methyl, the four strains produced a variety of other VOCs. T. asperellum (2) produced eighteen, T. orientale twelve, Trichoderma sp. (3) ten, and T. asperellum (1) eight. Further comparison with bibliographic databases revealed that 14 VOCs were not previously identified in any fungus and are novel to the studied Trichoderma species. Additionally, 05 VOCs were mentioned in previous studies without specifying their applications, and 11 VOCs were found in organisms other than Trichoderma spp. This research provides valuable insights into the VOCs production by different Trichoderma strains and highlights the diversity and novelty of compounds produced by these fungi.