Cultivation substrate critically affects the quality of Tremella fuciformis. Five substrates, including cottonseed hulls (MZKs), Machilus pauhoi Kanehira sawdust (BNM), lotus seed hulls (LZKs), Corethrodendron scoparium sawdust (HB), and palm fiber (ZL), were evaluated for their effects on agronomic traits, nutritional composition, texture, and taste characteristics. Untargeted metabolomics was applied to elucidate substrate-associated metabolic variations, and polysaccharide monosaccharide composition was quantitatively analyzed. The results showed that the BNM group exhibited the highest fresh weight, whereas the LZK group presented the highest dry weight and crude polysaccharide content. The ZL group displayed the greatest ear piece thickness and fruiting body elevation. Higher protein contents were observed in the ZL and LZK groups, with no differences in crude fiber content. Texture analysis indicated that hardness was highest in the LZK group, whereas the MZK group showed better springiness, cohesiveness, and chewiness. Regarding taste characteristics, the MZK group exhibited the strongest sweetness, the LZK group showed a markedly higher bitterness, and umami levels were comparable across all groups. Metabolomic analysis revealed that substrate-induced variations in amino acids, saccharides, and taste-related metabolites were significantly associated with nutritional quality and taste attributes of T. fuciformis. Polysaccharides of fruiting bodies cultivated on the five substrates consisted of six monosaccharides, with composition ratios similar to those of spore extracellular polysaccharides; among them, differences in glucuronic acid (GlcA) proportion represented a key indicator distinguishing fruiting body polysaccharides from spore polysaccharides. This study revealed the metabolic basis and polysaccharide composition underlying substrate-dependent quality of T. fuciformis, supporting substrate optimization for high-quality production.
Chen et al. (2026) studied this question.