Chemical composition of Hirsutella beakdumountainsis, a potential substitute for Cordyceps sinensis

Abstract

A strain of Hirsutella beakdumountainsis parasitized on Antheraea pernyi pupa was isolated from the fruiting body. The objective of this work was to optimize the artificial cultivation condition for the fruiting bodies of H. beakdumountainsis and compare the compositions of natural fruiting bodies of Cordyceps sinensis (NFCS), mycelia from shake culture (SCHS) and the fruiting bodies from artificial cultivation (ACHS) of H. beakdumountainsis. The crude protein of NFCS accounted for 22.97%; obviously lower than those of SCHS (27.99%) and ACHS (31.89%). The contents of total and essential amino acids were in the following descending order: SCHS>ACHS>NFCS, respectively. The total content of five nucleosides in SCHS (16.82 mg/g) was significantly higher than those of NFCS (5.08 mg/g) and ACHS (4.45 mg/g). The content of D-mannitol in NFCS, SCHS and ACHS was 8.9, 11.5 and 10.2%, respectively. The above results suggest that H. beakdumountainsis can probably be used as a substitute for C. sinensis.

Key words: Hirsutella beakdumountainsis, Cordyceps sinensis, protein, amino acid, nucleoside, D-mannitol.