Chemical constituents of the fermentation broth of the marine-derived fungus Penicillium roqueforti

Abstract

Background The filamentous fungus Penicillium roqueforti is a well-known multifunctional cell factory of high added-value biomolecules. Aims The objective of this work was to carry out a detailed analysis of the metabolites present in the culture broth of a new marine-derived Penicillium roqueforti strain isolated in the Canary Islands, Spain. Methods The fungal biomass production was carried out in liquid-state fermentation, and after 10–12 days of incubation at 22–25 °C, the supernatant mycelia was separated by filtration, and the culture broth (12 l) was stored in a refrigerator at 4 °C for a subsequent liquid–liquid extraction with dichloromethane (3×), in accordance with the modified Kupchan method. The volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds were separated by chromatography and analyzed using GC–MS and NMR spectroscopy analyses. Results Several volatile organic compounds involved in the fatty acid pathway were identified: a terpenoid, a cyclic dipeptide, phthalates, and an alkyl adipate. In addition, three categories of non-volatile compounds (alkanes, fatty acids and 1-alkanols) were identified by spectroscopy. The results show that the fermented broth of this fungal strain has no mycotoxins under the culture conditions applied. Conclusions It is hoped that this chemo-specific information will offer critical input for improving the biotechnological applications of this filamentous fungus.