Enhancing Antioxidant Activity and Bioactive Compound Production of Cordyceps Mushroom Using Quinoa as an Alternative Substrate

Onnicha Jiraprasertwong, Sirikhwan Tinrat, Vilai Rungsardthong, Peerapong Pornwongthong

Abstract

In the commercial production of Cordyceps militaris, cereal grains are commonly used as cultivation substrates, influencing both growth and bioactive metabolite profiles. This study evaluated the effectiveness of pseudocereals as alternative substrates by cultivating C. militaris on solid media containing different ratios of jasmine brown rice to quinoa (0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% w/w) and assessing the impact on bioactive metabolite production, including cordycepin, adenosine, total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and antioxidant activities. The methanolic extract of fruiting bodies grown on 75% quinoa medium (75-SMQ) exhibited the highest cordycepin (8.71 ± 0.80 mg/g dry weight [DW]) and adenosine (0.20 ± 0.01 mg/g DW) levels (p ≤ 0.05). Meanwhile, the 100% quinoa medium (100-SMQ) enhanced TPC (13.90 ± 0.02 mg GAE/g DW), TFC (16.70 ± 0.17 mg RE/g DW), and antioxidant activities, with the methanolic extract showing a strong DPPH radical scavenging capacity (3.22 ± 0.02 mg AAE/g DW; IC₅₀ = 0.71 ± 0.01 mg/mL; % inhibition = 77.20 ± 0.11) and a ferric-reducing ability power of 4.42 ± 0.01 mg AAE/g DW. These findings demonstrate the feasibility of using quinoa as an effective substrate for large-scale C. militaris cultivation, providing an efficient approach to enhance bioactive compound production and antioxidant activities for various industrial applications.

Keywords

References

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DOI: 10.14416/j.asep.2025.07.005

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