CHARACTERISTICS OF MYCELIUM MORPHOLOGY OF MEDICINAL MUSHROOM AGARICUS BLAZEI IN LIQUID-SUBMERGED CULTURE

The morphology and growth of the suspending mycelia of medicinal mushroom Agaricus blazei in liquid submerged batch culture were studied. As aggregative groups of hypha, the forms of the suspending mycelia of A. blazei were gradually developing from branched mycelium ( Type Ⅰa or Type Ⅰb ) to flocky mycelium ( Type Ⅱa or Type Ⅱb ) , and then becoming pelleted mycelium ( Type Ⅲa or Type Ⅲb ) in cultivation courses. In investigation of the stereoscopic configuration of the above mycelium forms, freedom of hypha was defined by the authors. It describes the stereoscopic characteristics of the hyphae that occupies the local micro environment with different looseness between hypha in liquid block. Freedom of hypha is demonstrated as below: F=V/M=∑Ni=1 (Δ V) i/∑Ni=1(ρ· Δ V) i=N/(ρ 1+......+ρ N) . The effects of pre culture ages( 2 d , 5 d or 8 d ), medium compositions ( N additive D 1 50 g L -1 or 100 g L -1 ) and the essential parameter of the special ALR/ff bioreactor, h/H ( the highness of drawing tube / the highness of medium block) on growth and forms of the suspending mycelia of A. blazei were tested, respectively. The results showed that flocky mycelium (Type Ⅱa or Type Ⅱb) did have more active growing ability, which should have a great value for freedom of hypha. Fig 9, Ref 18