Pilot scale fermentation to produce trichodiene: a fungal volatile that suppresses trichothecene production in mycotoxigenic fungi

Authors: Hay, William; Kemp, Nathan; Payne, Angela; RHOADES, NICHOLAS - Orise Fellow; Hao, Guixia; Vaughan, Martha; McCormick, Susan

Submitted to: Applied and Environmental Microbiology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/19/2025
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Food contamination from microbial toxins poses a serious risk to human and livestock health. One major culprit is Fusarium graminearum, a pathogen that causes cereal farmers and producers to lose billions of dollars worldwide each year. Besides reducing crop yields, Fusarium also contaminates grain with a harmful toxin called vomitoxin. Previous studies found that a fungal compound called trichodiene can suppress vomitoxin production. USDA-ARS scientists in Peoria, Illinois, have developed a method to mass-produce trichodiene for industrial-scale use to reduce vomitoxin contamination. They grew a microbial strain that produces trichodiene in pilot-scale fermenters and boosted production by adding a natural compound derived from parsnips. The purified trichodiene effectively lowered toxin production by F. graminearum. This research will enable American industry partners to use trichodiene produced in large-scale fermenters to combat vomitoxin contamination in food and animal feed, enhancing safety and reducing losses.

Technical Abstract: Trichodiene is a sesquiterpene hydrocarbon and the precursor of trichothecene mycotoxins produced by Fusarium and other fungi. Interestingly, utilizing trichodiene as a volatile treatment has been shown to reduce mycotoxin production in Fusarium graminearum infected wheat heads. This research developed a pilot scale fungal fermentation method to produce trichodiene as a biofumigant to mitigate mycotoxin contamination. A TRI4 mutant strain of F. sporotrichioides was used to mass-produce trichodiene. Xanthotoxin, a furanocoumarin produced by parsnips, was used to enhance trichodiene production in this mutant. Xanthotoxin treatments significantly increased trichodiene yield and were found to promote lipid droplet release from the fungal germlings. Benchtop scale evaluations were conducted to determine the impacts of xanthotoxin concentration, fermentation time, extraction solvent, and filtration on overall yield. After optimal conditions were identified, the fungal cultures treated with xanthotoxin were fermented for one week in a 30 L bioreactor. After an organic extraction of the fungal culture and concentration of the extract, trichodiene was isolated using column chromatography. Purified trichodiene reduced mycotoxin production in F. graminearum in a dose-dependent manner. This research will allow for the production of trichodiene in sufficient quantities to further evaluate its efficacy as a biofumigant to suppress mycotoxin production in F. graminearum.