Technical note: Effects of high concentrations of plant oils and fatty acids for mycelial growth and pinhead formation of Hericium erinaceum

Abstract

High concentrations of various plant oils (i.e., 5% vol/vol) with their major components of fatty acids were added to growth media to investigate the effects on mycelial growth and pinhead formation of Hericium erinaceum. Palmitic acid was the most stimulatory for the mycelial growth by 18.3%, which resulted in 80.0 +/- 3.9 nm of growth during 3 weeks of incubation. Olive oil was also stimulatory, and the mycelia grew to 75.2 +/- 2.2 mm in length, which was 11.2% longer than the control. The addition of high levels of coconut oil and lauric acid drastically suppressed mycelial growth. All lipid additives tested for pinhead formation, except linoleic acid, had a positive effect that shortened the period of pinhead formation by 10% to 25% compared to the control. Cottonseed and palm oils were equally the most effective for pinhead formation of H. erinaceum.