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Published on: May 5, 2023
Characterizing fungal communities in medicinal and edible Cassiae Semen using high-throughput sequencing
Mengyue Guo1, Wenjun Jiang1, Meihua Yang2
1Key Lab of Chinese Medicine Resources Conservation, State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine of the People's Republic of China, Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100193, China; Engineering Research Center of Chinese Medicine Resources, Ministry of Education, Beijing 100193, China.
Abstract:
Cassiae Semen (CS) has been widely used as roasted tea and traditional Chinese medicine for decades. However, CS is easily contaminated by fungi and mycotoxins during pre-harvest and post-harvest process, thus posing a potential threat to consumer health. In this study, we used the Illumina MiSeq PE300 platform and targeted the internal transcribed spacer 2 sequences to survey the occurrence of fungi in raw and roasted CS samples. Results showed the fungal contamination in all 12 test samples. Ascomycota was the prevailing fungus at the phylum level, with the relative abundance of 66.50%-99.42%. At the genus level, Aspergillus, Cladosporium, and Penicillium were the most dominant genera, accounting for 0.66%-85.51%, 0.20%-29.11%, and 0.11%-32.92% of the fungal reads, respectively. A total of 68 species were identified, among which six potential toxigenic fungi belonging to Aspergillus, Penicillium, Candida, and Schizophyllum genera were detected. Moreover, differences in fungal communities were observed in raw and roasted CS samples. In conclusion, amplicon sequencing is feasible for analyzing fungal communities in CS samples, which provides a new approach to investigate the fungal contamination in edible-medicinal herb, thereby ensuring food safety and drug efficacy.
Insights
Fungal contamination is present in Cassiae Semen (CS) used in traditional Chinese medicine and roasted tea. Amplicon sequencing identified toxigenic fungi, highlighting the need for safety assessments.
Area of Science:
- Food Science
- Mycology
- Pharmacognosy
Background:
- Cassiae Semen (CS) is a widely used edible-medicinal herb in traditional Chinese medicine and roasted tea.
- CS is susceptible to fungal and mycotoxin contamination during cultivation and processing, posing health risks.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the fungal communities in raw and roasted Cassiae Semen samples.
- To identify potential toxigenic fungi present in CS.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the Illumina MiSeq PE300 platform for amplicon sequencing.
- Targeted internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) sequences for fungal identification.
- Analyzed fungal composition in 12 raw and roasted CS samples.
Main Results:
- All tested CS samples exhibited fungal contamination.
- Ascomycota was the dominant phylum (66.50%-99.42%).
- Key genera included Aspergillus, Cladosporium, and Penicillium.
- Six potential toxigenic fungal species from Aspergillus, Penicillium, Candida, and Schizophyllum were detected.
- Distinct fungal community differences were observed between raw and roasted CS.
Conclusions:
- Amplicon sequencing is an effective method for analyzing fungal communities in CS.
- This approach aids in assessing fungal contamination in edible-medicinal herbs.
- Ensures food safety and efficacy of Cassiae Semen as a medicinal ingredient.
