초록
<P><B>Abstract</B></P><P><B>BACKGROUND</B></P><P>In commercial production of <I>Cordyceps militaris</I> (a famous Chinese medicine), cereal grains are usually utilized as cultivation substrates. This study aimed to evaluate the efficiency of agricultural wastes as substitute materials in the low‐cost production of <I>C. militaris</I>. Cottonseed shells (CS), corn cob particles (CCP), Italian poplar sawdusts (IPS) and substrates spent by <I>Flammulina velutipes</I> (SS) were employed to cultivate <I>C. militaris</I>, using rice medium as control.</P><P><B>RESULTS</B></P><P>CS and CCP were suitable for fruit body formation of <I>C. militaris</I>, with yields of 22 and 20 g per bottle respectively. Fruit bodies grown on CCP showed the highest levels of cordycepin and adenosine, up to 9.45 and 5.86 mg g<SUP>−1</SUP> respectively. The content of <SMALL>d</SMALL>‐mannitol in fruit bodies obtained on CS was 120 mg g<SUP>−1</SUP> (80% of the control group), followed by that on CCP, 100 mg g<SUP>−1</SUP>. Fruit bodies cultivated on CCP displayed a high crude polysaccharide level of 26.9 mg g<SUP>−1</SUP>, which was the closest to that of the control group (34.5 mg g<SUP>−1</SUP>).</P><P><B>CONCLUSION</B></P><P>CS and CCP are effective substrates for the production of fruit bodies and bioactive compounds by <I>C. militaris</I>. This study provides a new approach to decreasing the cost of <I>C. militaris</I> cultivation and dealing with these agricultural wastes. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry</P>