Feasibility of using Hericium erinaceus as the substrate for vinegar fermentation

In this study we investigated the production of vinegar using a Hericium erinaceus fermentation. After 9 days of alcoholic fermentation, the alcohol contents reached 16% with all concentrations (1.25%, 2.5% and 5.0%) of H. erinaceus powder investigated, whereas the sugar content decreased from 25 °Brix to 14 °Brix. Also, the broth pH decreased from 4 to 3.7 and the acidity increased from 0% to 0.3%. According to the sensory evaluation, the mushroom wine produced with 5.0% H. erinaceus powder was preferred by the panel, which was then chosen for subsequent acetic acid fermentation. During the acetic acid fermentation, there was little change in pH, even though the acidity increased from 2% to 4.09%. Besides the abundant acetic acid present in the H. erinaceus vinegar, malic acid and succinic acid were also detected after 9-day of fermentation. Moreover, the H. erinaceus vinegar showed antioxidant activity comparable to other vinegar products when assayed by DPPH and ABTS.