Flavor Compounds in Straw Mushrooms <i>Volvariella </i><i>volvacea</i> Harvested at Different Stages of Maturity

Abstract

Straw mushrooms were harvested at different stages of maturity. The volatile flavor compounds found in straw mushrooms were limonene, octa-1,5-dien-3-ol, 3-octanol, 1-octen-3-ol, 1-octanol, and 2-octen-1-ol, in which the major compound was 1-octen-3-ol, accounting for 71.6−83.1% of the total volatiles. More mature straw mushrooms possessed the most aroma. Straw mushrooms were high in trehalose (349.0−457.6 mg/g dry weight) and low in mannitol (0−25.5 mg/g). During the development of fruiting bodies, the contents of total free amino acids and monosodium glutamate components, including aspartic and glutamic acids, increased remarkably from 36.11 and 11.20 mg/g dry weight at stage 1 to 60.18 and 26.21 mg/g at stage 5, respectively, in which glutamic acid was the most significant, increasing from 7.72 at stage 1 to 21.00 mg/g dry weight at stage 5. The content of total 5‘-nucleotides and flavor 5‘-nucleotides (5‘-IMP and 5‘-GMP) accumulated steadily with maturation. In this study, more flavor compounds, including both aroma and taste compounds, occurred in straw mushrooms harvested at stages 4 and 5 (stipe elongated and cap opened). Keywords: Straw mushroom; Volvariella volvacea; flavor; volatile compounds; sugars; free amino acids; 5‘-nucleotides