Cultivation Method-Driven Aroma Diversification in Antrodia cinnamomea: GC-IMS and Bioelectronic Sensors Reveal Distinctive Volatile Fingerprints

Abstract

Antrodia cinnamomea, a renowned rare medicinal fungus in China, is rich in active components, exhibiting pharmacological effects, such as liver protection, hypoglycemic activity, and anti-tumor properties. Aiming to address the lack of horizontal comparative studies on volatile components of A. cinnamomea under different culture methods and the limitations of traditional detection methods, this study investigated the mycelia of A. cinnamomea cultured by solid-state culture (SAC), liquid culture (LAC), and dish culture (DAC). The flavor profiles were comprehensively evaluated using a combination of electronic tongue (E-tongue), electronic nose (E-nose), gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (GC-IMS), and multivariate statistical methods. Results from E-tongue and E-nose showed distinct flavor profiles among the three culture methods. A total of 75 volatile compounds were detected by GC-IMS, among which esters, alcohols, and ketones were the main components, accounting for 62.7%. Partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) identified 41 characteristic volatile compounds, and cluster heatmaps and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) further validated the metabolic preferences among culture methods. These findings provide a scientific basis for improving A. cinnamomea product quality through targeted flavor enhancement, support the development of standardized functional foods, and establish a flavor fingerprint for authenticity assessment, advancing the high-value utilization of this medicinal fungus.

Keywords: Antrodia cinnamomea; E-nose; E-tongue; fragrance-emitting volatiles; gas chromatography–ion mobility spectrometry (GC-IMS); principal component analysis (PCA).

Figure 1

PCA score plot of E-tongue analysis. HY—Solid-state cultured mycelia (SAC); HT—Liquid cultured mycelia (LAC); HM—Plate cultured mycelia (DAC) (the same below).

Figure 2

E-nose analysis of A. cinnamomea samples: (a) Radar chart showing sensor response patterns; (b) PCA score plot.

Figure 3

GC-IMS analysis of A. cinnamomea mycelia under different culture methods: (a) Two-dimensional spectrum (color gradient represents signal peak intensity of compounds: red indicates high intensity, white indicates low intensity, with darker colors corresponding to greater intensity); (b) Differential comparison model between culture methods.

Figure 4

GC-IMS volatile compound fingerprint spectra of A. cinnamomea mycelia under different culture methods.

Figure 5

(a) Partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA); (b) permutation test.

Figure 6

Cluster heatmap of differential volatile compounds in A. cinnamomea under different culture methods.

Figure 7

Orthogonal Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis (OPLS-DA) and Permutation Test Plot of SAC and LAC.

Figure 8

Heatmap of significantly different compounds from pairwise comparisons of three sample groups: (a) LAC vs. DAC; (b) SAC vs. DAC; (c) SAC vs. LAC.

Figure 8

Heatmap of significantly different compounds from pairwise comparisons of three sample groups: (a) LAC vs. DAC; (b) SAC vs. DAC; (c) SAC vs. LAC.