Optimization of Medium pH, Growth Media Compositions and Analysis of Nutritional Components of Ganoderma lucidum in Submerged Culture Fermentation

Aims: This study was undertaken to identify the optimal submerged culture conditions for four strains of Ganoderma lucidum: Ganoderma lucidum-8 (Ga-8), Ganoderma sinense (Ga-Sin), Ganoderma lucidum-0201 (Ga-0201) and Ganoderma atrum (Ga-Atr) and analyze their nutritional components.

Study Design: Orthogonal experiment to identify optimal submerged culture and nutritional components analyses.

Place and Duration of Study: The experiments were conducted in the laboratories of College of Food Science, South China Agricultural University between January and July 2005.

Results: Orthogonal experiment showed that all the strains grew well in M1 medium, with initial pH of 5.5. Ga-0201 grew best and had the largest mycelial biomass among four studied strains. Medium played the most important role in influencing the cultivation outcomes, followed by pH and then strain. Four strains of G. lucidum were subsequently submerged cultivated in the optimal medium and pH, and the nutritional compositions of their mycelial biomass were analyzed. Ga-Sin, high in ash, intracellular polysaccharide (IPS), extracellular polysaccharide (EPS), crude protein and crude fat; and Ga-0201, high in crude protein and crude fiber, had greater potential for research and development than the other two strains.

Conclusion: These results can be widely applied to G. lucidum fermentations on a large scale and selection of species for functional food use.