Korean Journal of Mycology (Kor. J. Mycol.)
Indexed in SCOPUS, KCI, DOAJ
OPEN ACCESS, PEER REVIEWED
pISSN 0253-651X
eISSN 2383-5249
RESEARCH ARTICLE

Analysis of the Ergothioneine Content in the Fruiting Bodies of Sawdust-cultivated Lentinula edodes Cultivars in Korea

Forest Microbiology Division, Department of Forest Bio-resources, National Institute of Forest Science,
Suwon 16631, Korea

Correspondence to idjys@korea.kr

Korean Journal of Mycology (Kor J Mycol) December, 2022, 50(4):301-310.
https://doi.org/10.4489/KJM.20220032
Accepted: December 19, 2022; Revised: December 19, 2022; Received: September 05, 2022
Published: December, 2022.
© 2022 THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF MYCOLOGY.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

ABSTRACT

Lentinula edodes is a type of mushroom widely consumed in East Asia, and many of the components contained in them are used as raw materials for pharmaceuticals or as health supplements. Ergothioneine, a sulfur-containing amino acid in L. edodes, is attracting attention due to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. L. edodes generally contain an ergothioneine content of about 200 to 800 mg per kg; there are some differences in this value depending on the cultivation conditions. In this study, 24 domestic sawdust-cultivated L. edodes cultivars were cultured under the same conditions, and the morphological characteristics and ergothioneine content of the fruiting bodies were investigated. The yield and morphological characteristics of the fruiting bodies were different in each cultivar. Taehyanggo and Sanjo 713ho had the largest and thickest pileus. The pileus of L. edodes had a higher ergothioneine content than the stipe. Sanjo 715ho had the highest ergothioneine content in the pileus and the stipe at 1,225 mg/kg and 753 mg/kg, respectively. An ergothioneine content of more than 1,000 mg/kg in the pileus was observed in Bambithyang, Sansanhyang, Sulbaekhyang, Taehyanggo, Sanjo 705ho, Sanjo 709ho, Sanjo 715ho, and Sanjo 716ho. These cultivars can be used as parental strains to develop new cultivars with enhanced ergothioneine functionalities.

Keywords

Ergothioneine, Lentinula edodes, Sawdust cultivation

Section