Cultivation experiments of 14 heterokaryotic strains of the edible and medicinally relevant mushroom Hericium erinaceus have shown a large variation in yield, quality and colour of the fruitbodies (Kirchhoff 1996). To determine the reasons for different fruitbody colours, phenoloxydases in the vegetative mycelium on agar and liquid media were investigated. It was shown that the colour of the fruitbodies correlates with the presence and activity of the phenoloxidase laccase. There is no correlation between fruitbody colour and presence of the phenoloxidase tyrosinase, responsible for browning of white button mushroom fruitbodies, Agaricus bisporus. The data obtained are important for selection or breeding of new H. erinaceus strains with good fruitbody qualities.
Gryganski A. P., Kirchhoff B., Molitoris H. P. (2000): Fruitbody quality and enzyme production of strains of Hericium erinaceus, an edible mushroom of medicinal relevance. – Czech Mycology 52(3): 195–207.
