The effects of nutritional and fermentation conditions on mycelium growth of Cordyceps militaris in liquid culture

Cordyceps militaris is a valuable medicinal mushroom. In this study, nutritional compositions and fermentation conditions, were investigated to evaluate the growth of this mushroom in liquid culture. Among the investigated carbon sources, glucose showed highest efficiency with colony density reaches 16.8 colonies per ml, colony diameter reaches 1.4mm, and mycelial biomass reaches 12.42g/l. The most suitable source of nitrogen is silkworm pupae extract with the colony density reaches 19.2colonies/ml, colony diameter reaches 1.6mm, and mycelial biomass reaches 15.53g/l. The most suitable sources of mineral salts are K2 HPO4 and MgSO4 .7H2 O. The pH of the culture medium was determined at 6. The appropriate ratio of seeding stock for biomass production was determined at 5.108/ml.