Impact of Molasse as Carbon Sources on Mycelium Formation and Fruiting Body Production in Cordyceps militaris

The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of various sugar-based carbon sources such as glucose, fructose, lactose, maltose, sucrose, brown sugar, and molasses, on the formation of mycelia and the production of fruiting bodies in Cordyceps militaris. The study employed a completely randomized design (CRD) experimental approach. The fungal mycelial growth on a synthetic solid culture medium was facilitated by cultivating the C. militaris on potato agar (PA) supplemented with different sugars. The results indicated that the cultivation of PA combined with 15 g L-1 of molasses, fructose, and lactose led to the largest colony diameter (83.33 mm). In terms of mycelial growth on potato broth (PB), PB supplemented with molasses exhibited the highest mycelial dry weight at 10.309 g L-1. This was not statistically different (P > 0.05) from PB supplemented with brown sugar (10.1643 g L-1). For the production of fruiting bodies on a substrate of rice grains, cultivation with rice grains and molasses yielded the highest values for fruiting body height, dry weight of the fruiting body, and biological efficiency, at 6.10 g bottle-1, 4.32 g bottle-1 and 29.92%, respectively. These values were statistically different (P ≤ 0.05) from those obtained using other substrates. The study concluded that molasses is an effective carbon source for the cultivation of C. militaris