Discrimination of storage periods for Macrocybe gigantea (Massee) using UV spectral fingerprints

Abstract

Macrocybe gigantea (Massee) Pegler & Lodge is a species of edible mushrooms which has important nutritional, medicinal, and economic values. Discrimination of M. gigantea with different storage periods is helpful to guarantee the authenticity and to promote marketing of this species. We focused on the establishment of the fingerprints based on UV spectroscopy to discriminate the wild-grown M. gigantea samples stored for different years and to distinguish the wild-grown and cultured samples which were stored for the same years. The analyses of the data were performed by multivariate analyses such as principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis (CA). UV spectral fingerprints showed that the major composition and content of the main components were significantly variable over time. All the M. gigantea samples which were stored for different years could be successfully grouped by PCA and CA. The results demonstrated that this qualitative assessment could be regarded as a rapid and reliable method for discrimination of M. gigantea with different storage times.