Effect of nutrition, vitamin, grains, and temperature on the mycelium growth and antioxidant capacity of Cordyceps militaris (strains AG-1 and PSJ-1)

Effects of subculture conditions on the mycelium growth and antioxidant capacity assessment of Cordyceps militaris trains AG-1 and PSJ-1 were carried out in laboratory during the autumn-winter season of 2015. Different temperature regimes and nutrition, vitamins levels, grain in substrate were evaluated for optimization on mycelium growth. The results showed that two strains AG-1 and PSJ-1 can grow the maximum mycelium radial at the temperature of 24 °C. The mycelium growth was improved by carbon sources such as glucose, dextrose, fructose, and maltose at 30 g/L concentration. Whereas glucose achieved the highest value of mycelium colony diameter in strains AG-1 and PSJ-1. Vitamins B1 concentrations at 0.03 g/L also gave the great values in mycelium colony diameter of both strains AG-1 and PSJ-1. The studies depicted that a substrate mixed with various grains sources (brown rice, white rice, and wheat, black glutinous rice Vietnam, and corn) cultured at 24 °C, for 12 days supported maximum mycelia growth of the two strains AG-1 and PSJ-1 of C. militaris. The effect of liquid culture medium (MYPS and PD) with mycelium on the anti-oxidation capacity was assessed. The results showed that the increasing of DPPH radical scavenging capacity with the extract concentration exist a proportional relation and Fe2+-chelating capacity as well. The cultured Cordyceps mycelium of two strains AG-1 and PSJ-1had the equally strong antioxidant capacity.