Different maturities drive proteomic and metabolomic changes in Chinese black truffle

Chinese black truffle (Tuber indicum) is rich in nutrition. However, commercial interests lead to the aroma components and nutrients of T. indicum being greatly affected by overexploitation without consideration of their maturity. This study investigated the proteomic and metabolomic profiles of truffle fruiting bodies at different maturities using a meta-proteomic approach. Among the 3007 identified proteins, the most up-expressed protein in the mature ascocarps was involved in the peptidyl-diphthamide biosynthetic process, while thiamine metabolism was the most differentially expressed pathway. Furthermore, a total of 54 metabolites identified upon LC-MS differed significantly, with 30 being up-expressed in the mature ascocarps, including organic acids, carnitine substances and polysaccharides. Additionally, the ash, protein, fat, crude fiber and total sugar contents were all higher in the mature ascocarps. Overall, our findings reveal that mature truffles have a higher nutritional value, providing a basis for further exploring protein functionality of T. indicum at different maturities.