The Influence of the Divergent Substrate on Physicochemical Properties and Metabolite Profiling of Agrocybe cylindracea Cultivation

<i>Agrocybe cylindracea</i> is an important mushroom highly valued as a functional food for its nutritional and medicinal benefits. Many bioactive extracts from <i>A. cylindracea</i> have been found to exhibit antitumor and antioxidant activities. This research investigated the distinct substrates that affected the physicochemical and biocomponent properties and biological efficiency of <i>A. cylindracea</i>. The substrates used were 48% giant juncao grass mixed with 30% <i>Dicranopteris dichotoma</i> grasses, 48% wasted tea leaves mixed with 30% sawdust, and 78% cottonseed hulls, all supplemented with 20% wheat bran and 2% lime. The findings indicated that <i>A. cylindracea</i> grown in the cotton seed hulls had a significant biological efficiency, at 35.8%, followed by the GD + DD (31.5%) and WTL + SD (28.7%). The ash content peaked in the fruiting bodies grown on giant juncao grass and <i>D. dichotoma</i>, while the fat content was highest in those grown on giant juncao grass and <i>D. dichotoma</i>, followed by wasted tea leaves and sawdust. The protein content was significantly higher in the fruiting bodies cultivated on wasted tea leaves and sawdust, followed by cottonseed hulls. The carbon dioxide emissions varied across substrates, with the highest emissions observed during the maturity stage of the fruiting bodies grown on giant juncao grass with <i>D. dichotoma</i> and wasted tea leaves and sawdust. Emissions decreased sharply 110 days after cultivation. Essential metabolites, such as dopamine and caffeine, were enriched in the fruiting bodies grown on wasted tea leaves, sawdust, and cottonseed hulls. In contrast, tyramine and uracil were enriched in those grown on cottonseed hulls.