Basidiomycetes as new biotechnological tools to generate natural aromatic flavours for the food industry

Consumer preference for natural food additives has led to an increasing dem and for natural aromatic compounds. An alternative production process to pl ant and chemical sources is the use of biotechnological methods involving m icroorganisms, which ensure a stable supply, quality and price. Among filam entous fungi, white-rot basidiomycetes represent an important group that ge nerate a wide range of flavouring compounds, particularly aromatic molecule s. Their biotechnological potential to produce natural aromatic flavours de novo or by biotransformation thus presents a very interesting challenge.