Influence of Culture Conditions on Bioactive Compounds in Cordyceps militaris: A Comprehensive Review

Author: mycolabadmin
10/1/2025
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Summary

Cordyceps militaris is a medicinal fungus used in traditional medicine to treat fatigue, boost immunity, and fight disease. This comprehensive review explains how different growing conditions—including the type of food (substrate), light exposure, temperature, and nutrient ratios—affect the production of powerful healing compounds like cordycepin and polysaccharides. The review compares growing methods using grains versus insects, showing that insect-based cultivation produces higher concentrations of beneficial compounds. Key recommendations for the future include developing standardized growing protocols and integrating advanced research techniques to scale up production sustainably.

Background

Cordyceps militaris is a medicinal fungus with diverse therapeutic properties attributed to bioactive compounds including cordycepin, polysaccharides, adenosine, D-mannitol, carotenoids, and ergosterol. The production and composition of these metabolites are highly influenced by cultivation conditions. This review synthesizes current findings on how nutritional and environmental parameters regulate C. militaris metabolite biosynthesis.

Objective

To synthesize current findings on how nutritional factors (carbon and nitrogen sources, trace elements) and environmental parameters (oxygen, pH, temperature, light) regulate C. militaris metabolite biosynthesis. To compare solid-state fermentation and liquid-state fermentation approaches and identify knowledge gaps in cultivation protocols and scale-up challenges.

Results

Mixed grain-insect substrates and light regulation emerged as promising methods to enhance cordycepin accumulation. Specific light wavelengths significantly influence metabolite production, with blue and pink light showing optimal effects. Insect-based substrates, particularly Allomyrina dichotoma larvae, yielded cordycepin up to 89.5 mg/g. Nutritional optimization of C/N ratios and trace element supplementation substantially enhanced bioactive compound yields.

Conclusion

Future research should integrate multi-omics approaches with bioprocess engineering to overcome current limitations. Key knowledge gaps include incomplete understanding of metabolite regulatory networks, absence of standardized cultivation protocols, and unresolved scale-up challenges. A holistic optimization strategy integrating environmental cues, substrate selection, and strain-specific responses can maximize yield and quality while aligning production with sustainability goals.

Published in:Foods,
Study Type:Review,
Source: 41097576