Various grain substrates for the production of fruiting bodies and bioactive compounds of the medicinal caterpillar mushroom, Cordyceps militaris (Ascomycetes).

In this study, several grains such as brown rice (Br), plumule rice (Pr), wheat (W) and pearl barley (Pb) supplemented with 1% (w/w) peptone (P), yeast extract (Ye), ammonia sulfate (As), and monosodium glutamate (Mg) as a nitrogen source, respectively, were used to produce fruiting bodies and bioactive compounds of two strains of Cordyceps militaris. Among these grain substrates, the substrate most suitable to mycelial growth was Pb+Ye for C. militaris H and L. The mushroom strains colonized this substrate in 12.8 and 12.6 days, respectively. For C. militaris L, the fewest days were required for primordial initiation on Br+Ye and Pr+P substrates. The highest yield and biological efficiency was observed with Pb substrate (25.16 g/bottle and 87.36%) and Br+P substrate (21.84 g/bottle and 75.83%) for C. militaris H and L, respectively. In the fruiting bodies of C. militaris H, the highest cordycepin content was cultivated on W+Mg substrate (25.07 mg/g), the highest mannitol content was cultivated with Pr+Mg (153.21 mg/g) and Pr (151.65 mg/g) substrates, and the highest adenosine content was cultivated with Pr+Ye (0.94 mg/g) and Pb+Ye (0.90 mg/g) substrates. In the fruiting bodies of C. militaris L, the highest cordycepin content was cultivated with W+Mg substrate (22.14 mg/g); the highest mannitol content was cultivated with Pb substrate (189.33 mg/g); and the highest adenosine content was cultivated with Pb+Ye substrate (0.71 mg/g).