DETERMINATION OF THE OPTIMAL HARVEST TIME OF THE CULTURE MEDIUM OF VIETNAMESE-ISOLATED Cordyceps militaris WITH THE HIGHEST ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY

Tóm tắt

Cordyceps militaris, commonly known as a medicinal mushroom, is a valuable fungus renowned for its high content of antioxidant compounds such as flavonoids, polyphenols, and cordycepin. Harvest timing plays a crucial role in optimizing the concentration of these bioactive compounds, thereby enhancing the medicinal value of the fungus. However, the fruiting bodies are typically expensive.This study was conducted to determine the optimal harvest time for C. militaris CULTURE MEDIUM that yield the highest antioxidant activity. The experiment involved harvesting the CULTURE MEDIUM at various growth stages—days 0, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, and 60—corresponding to developmental phases from mycelial growth to mature fruiting bodies.The chemical composition of the substrates was analyzed using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS), and antioxidant activity was evaluated by determining total polyphenol content, reducing power, and DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) free radical scavenging capacity.The results indicated that antioxidant activity increased progressively with growth duration, peaking at the mature fruiting body stage on day 50. These findings provide essential scientific evidence for optimizing the harvest process of Cordyceps militaris cultivation in Vietnam, contributing to the improvement of raw material quality for the domestic pharmaceutical and nutraceutical industries, while supporting the development of a circular bioeconomy.