AUTHOR=Turk Ayman , Abdelhamid Mohamed A. A. , Yeon Sang Won , Ryu Se Hwan , Lee Solip , Ko Sung Min , Kim Beom Seok , Pack Seung Pil , Hwang Bang Yeon , Lee Mi Kyeong 

TITLE=Cordyceps mushroom with increased cordycepin content by the cultivation on edible insects

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology

VOLUME=13

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2022.1017576

DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2022.1017576

ISSN=1664-302X

ABSTRACT=<p>Cordycepin is the major constituent of <italic>Cordyceps</italic> mushroom (or <italic>Cordyceps militaris</italic>) with therapeutic potential. Insects are the direct sources of nutrients for <italic>Cordyceps</italic> in nature. Therefore, optimized condition of <italic>Cordyceps</italic> cultivation for efficient cordycepin production was explored using six edible insects as substrates. The highest yield of cordycepin was produced by the cultivation on <italic>Allomyrina dichotoma</italic> and was 34 times that on <italic>Bombyx mori</italic> pupae. Among insect components, fat content was found to be important for cordycepin production. Especially, a positive correlation was deduced between oleic acid content and cordycepin production. The transcriptional levels of <italic>cns1</italic> and <italic>cns2</italic>, genes involved in cordycepin biosynthesis, were higher in <italic>Cordyceps</italic> grown on <italic>A. dichotoma</italic> than on other insects tested. The addition of oleic acid to the substrates increased cordycepin production together with the transcriptional levels of <italic>cns1</italic> and <italic>cns2</italic>. Therefore, <italic>Cordyceps</italic> with high content of cordycepin can be secured by the cultivation on insects.</p>