In this study, articles of North and South Korea journals published in were examined for their research trends, focusing on Pine mushroom science. In North Korea, a total of 51 papers were selected for final analysis, and the number of authors per paper was 2.23. In Korea, 124 papers were finally selected, and the number of authors per paper was 3.53. In North Korea, Nam Geol published nine articles, the largest number of academic papers in the field of pine mushroom research, and in South Korea, Ka Gang-Hyun published 20 articles, the largest number of academic papers. The number of papers on pine mushrooms published in 10 North Korean academic journals from 2001 to 2023 is increasing every year, with one in 2001, two in 2002, three in 2007, three in 2013, three in 2018, four in 2020, eight in 2021, and six in 2022, especially after 2020. From 1980 to 2024, Korea increased sharply in 1997 to two in 1980, two in 1991, seven in 2003, 12 in 2006, five in 2011, one in 2022, and seven in 2024, but the number of papers has decreased since 2012. This study is considered to be meaningful in reviewing the research status and technology level in North and South Korea through academic journals for the first time in the field of Pine mushroom science.

Tricholoma matsutake, one of the most favorable ectomycorrhizal mushrooms, forms a symbiotic relationship with its host, Pinus densiflora. In this study, co-cultivation of T. matsutake mycelium with bacteria from fairy rings was conducted to explore artificial cultivation. Among the isolates tested, strain B22_9_B28 promoted mycelial growth across five T. matsutake isolates: KMCC05631 from Yangyang-gun (124.23%), KMCC05632 and KMCC05633 from Yeongdeok-gun (127.68% and 156.61%, respectively), and KMCC05634 from Yeongdong-gun (153.31%), and KMCC05644 from Bonghwa-gun (171.59%). 16S rRNA sequence analysis suggested that B22_9_B28 may represent a novel species of Paenibacillus. These results highlight the potential of a new Paenibacillus species with pan-regional growth-promoting effects on T. matsutake mycelium, offering a promising avenue for the artificial cultivation of this valuable mushroom.

Tricholoma matsutake, one of the most famous edible mushroom in Asia, has been cultivated in red pine forest. Because of its difficulty in artificial cultivation, T. matsutake cultivation has relied on foraging in the forest. Under certain environmental conditions, T. matsutake form the Shiro, the condensed mycelium, and develop into fruiting bodies. Among the certain environmental conditions, fungal communities play a major role in the mushroom development. Therefore, fungal community investigations for Bonghwa and Yangyang have been conducted on soil with fairy rings in the past, soil with existing fairy rings, and soil with presumptive fairy rings developing in the future. From the six soil samples, total 163 genera of fungi were detected and species diversity and species abundance of each sample were also analyzed. In result, the species diversity and species abundance of the fairy rings in Yangyang were lower than those in Bonghwa. In comparison with the fairy rings in Yangyang and Bonghwa, the dominance of the genus Tricholoma was higher and that of the genus Motilella was lower in Yangyang. Through the continuous study, establishment of optimal environmental conditions to promote the T. matsutake cultivation is highly expected.

Tricholoma matsutake is an economically important ectomycorrhizal mushroom, but artificial cultivation remains challenging. While much research has been conducted on the bacteria and fungi associated with T. matsutake, studies on archaea have been limited. This study compared and analyzed the diversity and structural differences of archaeal communities in the fairy ring and non-fairy ring soils using a metabarcoding approach. The alpha diversity analysis revealed that the archaeal community in fairy ring soil had lower diversity compared to non-fairy ring soil, and beta diversity analysis clearly separated the community structures between the two soil types. Among all analyzed soils, Nitrososphaeria (Nitrososphaerota) dominated the archaeal community at class level. In fairy ring soils, Nitrosotalea (Nitrosotaleaceae) was predominant, while in non-fairy ring soils, Nitrosocaldaceae dominated. These results suggest that Nitrosotalea may have a close association with T. matsutake, highlighting the need for further in-depth research on archaea as potential growth promoting microorganism for T. matsutake mycelial growth.

Tricholoma matsutake is a commercially valuable fungus that produces gourmet mushrooms. The artificial cultivation method that is currently used to produce fruiting bodies involves the transplantation of pine trees infected with T. matsutake from their natural habitats and the successful infection of young pine trees and mushroom production have been reported in Hongcheon. In this study, T. matsutake genetic diversity and relationships in this region were investigated. A genotype analysis was conducted on 25 fruiting bodies collected from an area approximately 2.56 km2 in size using 10 simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. The analysis revealed 25 genotypes and 23 alleles with mean observed (HO) and expected (HE) heterozygosities of 0.312 and 0.293, respectively. The average polymorphism information content (PIC), which indicates marker polymorphism, was 0.257. A phylogenetic analysis showed no clear correlation between collection location and genetic distance; a spatial autocorrelation analysis indicated no significant genetic structure within 1600 m; and the Mantel test showed no significant correlation between genetic and geographic distances. These results were consistent with previous reports on Japanese populations. This study provides insights into the genetic diversity and structure of T. matsutake at a local scale and highlights the need for further studies across broader geographical ranges.

As a member of ectomycorrhizal fungi, Tricholoma matsutake has a symbiotic relationship with its host, Pinus densiflora. To cultivate T. matsutake artificially, the co-cultivation of T. matsutake mycelia and bacteria from shiro was introduced. In this study, bacteria were isolated from soil samples in Bonghwa-gun, and seven bacterial isolates (B22_7_B05, B22_7_B06, B22_7_B07, B22_7_B08, B22_7_B10, B22_7_B13, and B22_7_B14) promoted the growth of T. matsutake mycelia (147.48, 232.11, 266.72, 211.43, 175.17, 154.62, and 177.92%, respectively). Sequencing of the 16S rRNA region of the isolated bacteria was performed. B22_7_B05 and B22_7_B10 were identified as Bacillus toyonensis, B22_7_B06 and B22_7_B08 as Paenibacillus taichungensis, B22_7_B07 and B22_7_B14 as P. gorilla, and B22_7_B13 as P. odorifer. These bacterial isolates were associated with the shiro community and are expected to contribute to the cultivation of T. matsutake.

Tricholoma matsutake is a traditional favorite food in East Asia, cultivated in fairy rings called “shiro,” which are found near Pinus densiflora. For effective artificial cultivation of Tri. matsutake, microorganisms from symbiotic fairy rings are co-cultivated. In this study, one bacterial isolate (Y22_B35) and two fungal isolates (Y22_F64 and Y22_F68) displayed growth-promoting effects on Tri. matsutake mycelium (158.47, 125.00, and 122.26% enhanced growth, respectively). For identification, 16S rRNA or ITS regions from the microorganisms¡¯ genomes were sequenced. Other sequences, including BenA, CaM, and RPB2 were sequenced in the fungal isolates. The bacterial isolate Y22_B35 was identified as Bacillus cereus. Y22_F64 and Y22_F68 were identified as Umbelopsis nana and Aspergillus parvulus, respectively. To identify the effects of the dominant microorganisms on Tri. Matsutake cultivation, metagenomic analyses were performed. Discovery of these Tri. matsutake mycelium growth-promoting microorganisms and metagenomics analyses are expected to contribute to our understanding of Tri. matsutake fruiting body growth and construction of biomimicry.

To cultivate pine mushroom (Tricholoma matsutake) artificially, co-cultivation with microorganisms has been introduced. Here, experiments were performed to assess the growth-promoting effect of bacteria on T. matsutake mycelia. Bacteria were isolated from soil samples collected in Yangyang County, Korea. Four of the bacterial isolates (Y22_B06, Y22_B11, Y22_B18, and Y22_B22) exhibited a growth-promoting effect on T. matsutake mycelia (154.67%, 125.91%, 134.06%, and 158.28%, respectively). To analyze the characteristics of the bacteria, especially the antifungal activity, -amylase and cellulase activity assays were performed. In comparison with the controls, the isolated bacteria exhibited low -amylase and cellulase activity. 16S rRNA gene sequencing was performed to identify the four bacterial isolates. The isolates belonged to the Terrabacteria group and were identified as Microbacterium paraoxydans, Paenibacillus castaneae, Peribacillus frigoritolerans, and P. butanolivorans. These bacterial isolates are expected to have contributed to the growth promotion of T. matsutake mycelia and the artificial cultivation of T. matsutake.

The mineral content of Tricholoma matsutake was evaluated for comparison of mineral contents according to the area of cultivation. Ten domestic and thirty Chinese (10 Yanji, 10 Yunnan and 10 Tibet) T. matsutake specimens were assessed using an atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS). The Na, Mg, K, and Ca contents of domestic T. matsutake were 128.12±85.25 mg/kg, 218.52±105.35 mg/kg, 7,534.58±2,691.52 mg/kg, and 17.69±7.14 mg/kg, respectively, while those of Yanji T. matsutake were 124.89±57.24 mg/kg, 64.07±27.52 mg/kg, 1,439.18±311.04 mg/kg, and 10.88±4.52 mg/kg, respectively. The Na, Mg, K, and Ca contents of Yunnan T. matsutake were 90.78±23.23 mg/kg, 77.40±28.36 mg/kg, 1,446.29 ±126.33 mg/kg, and 28.42±5.18 mg/kg respectively, while those of Tibet T. matsutake were 143.50±41.54 mg/kg, 124.64±50.18 mg/kg, 3,530.95±2,714.99 mg/kg, and 21.05±8.71 mg/kg, respectively. The Cu contents of domestic, Yanji, Yunnan, and Tibet T. matsutake were 105.43±32.97 mg/kg, 19.92±8.95 mg/kg, 54.51±16.91 mg/kg, and 64.80±23.01 mg/kg, respectively. Both domestic and Chinese T. matsutake samples showed significantly different K, Mg, and Cu levels in this study. Therefore, a comparative evaluation of the K, Mg, and Cu contents of multiple domestic and Chinese T. matsutake varieties is needed to determine the appropriate area of cultivation in the future.

본 연구에서는 국산과 중국산 능이버섯과 송이버섯의 일반성분과 아미노산 조성을 분석하여 채취지역에 따른 능이버섯과 송이버섯의 식품학적 품질을 비교하고자 하였다. 송이버섯의 조회분 함량은 중국 티벳산이 5.52%, 운남 5.40%, 연길 6.95%, 한국 양양 6.40%로 시료 간에 차이를 나타내었다. 조지방 함량은 한국 양양산이 1.19%로 가장 낮았고, 조단백질 함량은 중국 티벳산이 16.83%로 가장 낮아 시료 간에 차이를 나타내었다. 송이버섯의 총아미노산 함량은 중국 연길 11,490.14±892.07 mg%, 중국 운남 8,000.03±2072.65 mg%, 티벳 6,815.48± 771.82 mg%, 한국 양양 6,074.74±814.86 mg% 순으로 나타났다. 능이버섯의 조회분, 조지방, 조단백질, 총아미노산 함량은 한국산과 중국산 시료 간에 차이를 나타내지 않았다. 본 실험결과 조회분 함량을 중국 남방지역(티벳, 운남) 송이버섯과 한국 양양 및 중국 북방(연길) 송이버섯의 구분지표로 활용할 수 있을 것으로 사료되며 무기질 성분에 대한 추가 실험을 통해 지표 무기질 도출이 필요한 것으로 판단된다.

There are about 15,000 kinds of mushrooms found worldwide and 2,000 kinds of edible mushrooms. There are about 1,500 kinds of mushrooms native to Korea, among which about 300 kinds of edible mushrooms are counted. In Korea, mainly Lentinus edodes (shiitake mushroom), Tricholoma matsutake (pine mushroom), and Sarcodon aspratus (Neungi mushroom) are edible, and they are imported from China due to insufficient production. The purpose of this study was to compare the nutritional quality of Chinese and Korean frozen Tricholoma matsutake and Sarcodon aspratus. The crude fat content of frozen Tricholoma matsutake was 1.1 ~ 1.5% in Chinese and 0.5% in Korea. Korea products were lower than Chinese ones. The content of crude protein in Chinese was 16.4 ~ 20.9% and that of Korea was 21.2%. In crude ash content, there are some differences between regions. The crude protein content of frozen Sarcodon aspratus was 18.9% in Chinese and 19.4% in Korea. The crude fat content was 1.2% in Chinese and 0.9% in Korea. There was no significant difference in the contents of crude ash.

The world mushroom market is continuously expanding due to the improvement of production technology and the continuous increase of demand. Production and consumption of mushrooms are increasing in Korea and imports are increasing year by year. Most of the imported mushrooms are from China. The Lentinus edodes (shiitake mushroom) are in dry form, but Tricholoma matsutake (pine mushroom) and Sarcodon aspratus (Neungi mushroom) are imported in frozen form. It is suspected that frozen Tricholoma matsutake and Sarcodon aspratus are coated with water to increase the weight excessively. In this study, we compared the moisture content and drip% of Chinese and Korean frozen Tricholoma matsutake and Sarcodon aspratus to determine the presence or absence of water coating. The moisture content of frozen Tricholoma matsutake was highest in Yunnan (China) at 94.7%, followed by Tibetan (China) at 92.5%, Yanji (China) at 90.6% and Korea at 88.5%. The moisture content of frozen Sarcodon aspratus was 92.4% in China and 91.6% in Korea. The drip% of frozen Tricholoma matsutake was 23.1% in Tibetan (China), 22.1% in Yunnan (China), 14.5% in Yanji (China) and 11.7% in Korea. The amount of drip% of Korea and Chinese frozen Sarcodon aspratus was 20.8% and 22.7%, respectively. Moisture content and drip% of frozen Sarcodon aspratus were similar to those of Chinese and Korea. Frozen Tricholoma matsutake imported from China showed high moisture content and drip% than Korea ones. These results indicated that water coating is possible in frozen Tricholoma matsutake imported from China.