Abstract:The fruit bodies and leftovers (mushroom buds and slices) of Pleurotus eryngii were analyzed and the nutritional components, including crude protein, crude fiber, carbohydrates, etc., and flavor substances such as soluble sugars, organic acids, free amino acids, and 5′-nucleotides were measured. In addition, the changes in the nutritional components and flavor substances before and after growth of the fruit bodies of Pleurotus eryngii were compared. The results showed that after the fruit bodies of Pleurotus eryngii were harvested, the contents of crude fibre and protein (7% and 13% respectively) as well as total carbohydrates in the substrates decreased to some extent. In addition, with the exception of the mannitol content, which was significantly increased, the content of each flavor substance in the substrate declined. The crude protein content in the mushroom buds, fruit bodies, and mushroom slices of Pleurotus eryngii followed the order: mushroom buds > fruit bodies > mushroom slices, ranging from 108.68 to 230.12 mg/g; the opposite order was identified for the carbohydrate content, which ranged from 565.53 to 366.61 mg/g. Except for trehalose, fructose, acetic acid, and glutamic acid, the content of each flavor substance was higher in the mushroom buds than in the fruit bodies, while the contents of flavor substances in mushroom slices were lower than or close to those of the fruit bodies. The equivalent umami concentrations in the mushroom buds, fruit bodies, and mushroom slices of Pleurotus eryngii were present in the order as mushroom slices > mushroom buds > fruit bodies, and were in the range of 19.05~24.10 g MSG/100 g. These results indicate that the leftovers of Pleurotus eryngii still exhibit high application values.
