Abstract:In order to determine the optimal picking time of fresh Shiitake mushroom, the taste components (free amino acid and 5’-nucleotide) in fresh fruiting bodies of Shiitake mushrooms harvested at different growth stages were studied, and the data were statistically analyzed by principal component analysis and cluster analysis. Results indicated that the levels of free amino acids and 5’- nucleotides in Shiitake mushroom harvested at different stages of maturity varied, and significant differences existed among all samples based on maturity. Principal component analysis (PCA) combined with amino acid and 5’-nucleotide data could clearly discriminate samples from different maturity, with results obtained from hierarchical cluster analysis (the euclidean distance of 4.0) being in agreement with those of PCA. The contents of amino acids and 5’-nucleotides in fresh Shiitake mushroom fruiting bodies, the equivalent umami concentration (EUC), the sensory evaluation and the comprehensive evaluation scores reached the peak at the bud stage (T1). And the conventional picking periods, i.e., six degree of maturity (T4) and eight degree of maturity (T5), were at the middle stage. The optimal picking time to ensure the appearance, economic efficiency, EUC value, sensory quality and comprehensive evaluation score of Shiitake mushrooms remained at a relatively high level and under our experimental conditions, was determined to be T4. The results could serve as a theoretical foundation for determining the optimal harvest period for Shiitake mushrooms and other similar agricultural products with high quality.
