TY  - JOUR
A1  - Malacrinò, Antonino
A1  - Abdelfattah, Ahmed
A1  - Berg, Gabriele
A1  - Benitez, Maria-Soledad
A1  - Bennett, Alison E.
A1  - Böttner, Laura
A1  - Xu, Shuqing
A1  - Schena, Leonardo
T1  - Exploring microbiomes for plant disease management
JF  - Biological control : theory and application in pest management
N2  - Microbiome science is revolutionizing many concepts of plant biology, ecology, and evolution. 
Understanding plant microbiomes is key to developing solutions that protect crop health without impacting the environment. 
In this perspective article, we highlight the importance of both the structure and functions of plant-associated microbial communities in protecting their host from pathogens. 
These new findings have a high potential to aid biocontrol programs and to replace traditional chemical products, guiding the transition towards a sustainable production.
KW  - microbiota
KW  - metagenomics
KW  - plant pathogen
KW  - plant protection
Y1  - 2022
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocontrol.2022.104890
SN  - 1049-9644
SN  - 1090-2112
VL  - 169
PB  - Academic Press
CY  - San Diego, Calif.
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Minutillo, Serena A.
A1  - Ruano-Rosa, David
A1  - Abdelfattah, Ahmed
A1  - Schena, Leonardo
A1  - Malacrino, Antonino
T1  - The fungal microbiome of wheat flour includes potential mycotoxin producers
JF  - Foods
N2  - Consumers are increasingly demanding higher quality and safety standards for the products they consume, and one of this is wheat flour, the basis of a wide variety of processed products. This major component in the diet of many communities can be contaminated by microorganisms before the grain harvest, or during the grain storage right before processing. These microorganisms include several fungal species, many of which produce mycotoxins, secondary metabolites that can cause severe acute and chronic disorders. Yet, we still know little about the overall composition of fungal communities associated with wheat flour. In this study, we contribute to fill this gap by characterizing the fungal microbiome of different types of wheat flour using culture-dependent and -independent techniques. Qualitatively, these approaches suggested similar results, highlighting the presence of several fungal taxa able to produce mycotoxins. In-vitro isolation of fungal species suggest a higher frequency of Penicillium, while metabarcoding suggest a higher abundance of Alternaria. This discrepancy might reside on the targeted portion of the community (alive vs. overall) or in the specific features of each technique. Thus, this study shows that commercial wheat flour hosts a wide fungal diversity with several taxa potentially representing concerns for consumers, aspects that need more attention throughout the food production chain.
KW  - Penicillium
KW  - Alternaria
KW  - post-harvest
KW  - metabarcoding
Y1  - 2022
U6  - https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11050676
SN  - 2304-8158
VL  - 11
IS  - 5
PB  - MDPI
CY  - Basel
ER  -