Diversity of Trichoderma spp. in Marine Environments and Their Biological Potential for Sustainable Industrial Applications

Microorganisms are regarded as a sustainable source of biologically active molecules. Among them, Trichoderma spp. have been an attractive source of biological compounds. However, the study of marine-derived Trichoderma has developed slowly because of the difficulty in isolating the fungi. In our study, 30 strains of marine-derived Trichoderma were identified through the translation elongation factor 1-alpha (EF1 alpha) sequences, and their biological activities, such as antioxidant activity by ABTS and DPPH assays, antifungal activity against Asteromyces cruciatus and Lindra thalassiae, and tyrosinase inhibition activity, were investigated. As a result, the 30 marine Trichoderma species were classified into 21 taxa, including three new species candidates. Three strains of T. asperellum showed the highest ABTS radical scavenging activity and antifungal activity. T. bissettii SFC20170821-M05 and T. guizhouense SFC20180619-M23 showed notable DPPH radical scavenging activity and tyrosinase inhibition activity, respectively. This study showed the potential of marine-derived Trichoderma as a source of bioactive compounds.