Identification, biological characteristics, and nutritional analysis of a wild <i>Auricularia cornea</i>

A wild strain FCATAS 3346 of <italic>Auricularia</italic> collected from Qixianling National Forest Park of Hainan Province (China) was isolated in this study. The strain was identified as <italic>A. cornea</italic> based on a combination of morphological characteristics and internal transcribed spacer sequence (ITS) analyses. To develop and utilize this wild resource, single-factor and orthogonal tests were conducted to investigate the effects of various factors on the mycelial growth of the strain under solid culture conditions. Additionally, cultivation and nutritional composition analysis were conducted. The results showed that the most suitable conditions for mycelial growth of the strain were mannitol 1.0 g/L, yeast extract powder 0.3 g/L, pH 7.0, and a temperature of 30 °C. The optimal substrate formula is sawdust 38%, corncob 20%, bran 20%, cottonseed hull 10%, corn flour 10%, CaCO₃ 1%, gypsum 1%, and mature fruiting bodies were obtained. Crude polysaccharide content of the fruiting bodies was 2.93%, crude fiber 15.5%, crude fat 2.3%, and ash 2.8%. The restricted amino acids of the fruiting bodies are methionine and cysteine. This study successfully cultivated a wild strain and provide a reference for the exploration and utilization of <italic>Auricularia</italic> resources in Hainan tropical rainforest and the breeding of new varieties.