Aims:The objective of the present study was to investigate the optimal culture requirements for mycelial growth and exopolysaccharide production by Cordyceps jiangxiensis JXPJ 0109 in submerged culture. Methods and Results: The effects of medium ingredients (i.e. carbon and nitrogen sources, and growth factor) and other culture requirements (i.e. initial pH, temperature, etc.) on the production of mycelia and exopolysaccharide were observed using a one-factor-at-a-time method. More suitable culture requirements for mycelial growth and exopolysaccharide production were proved to be maltose, glycerol, tryptone, soya bean steep powder, yeast extract, medium capacity 200 ml in a 500-ml flask, agitation rate 180 rev min )1 , seed age 4-8 days, inoculum size 2AE5-7AE5% (v/v), etc. The optimal temperatures and initial pHs for mycelial growth and exopolysaccharide production were at 26°C and pH 5 and at 28°C and pH 7, respectively, and corresponding optimal culture age were observed to be 8 and 10 days respectively. According to the primary results of the one-factor-at-a-time experiments, the optimal medium for the mycelial growth and exopolysaccharide production were obtained using an orthogonal layout method to optimize further. Herein the effects of medium ingredients on the mycelial growth of C. jiangxiensis JXPJ 0109 were in the order of yeast extract > tryptone > maltose > CaCl 2 > glycerol > MgSO 4 > KH 2 PO 4 and the optimal concentration of each composition was 15 g maltose (food-grade), 10 g glycerol, 10 g tryptone, 10 g yeast extract, 1 g KH 2 PO 4 , 0AE2 g MgSO 4 , and 0AE5 g CaCl 2 in 1 l of distilled water, while the order of effects of those components on exopolysaccharide production was yeast extract > maltose > tryptone > glycerol > KH 2 PO 4 > CaCl 2 > MgSO 4 , corresponding to the optimal concentration of medium was as follows: 20 g maltose (food-grade), 8 g glycerol, 5 g tryptone, 10 g yeast extract, 1 g KH 2 PO 4 , and 0AE5 g CaCl 2 in 1 l of distilled water. Conclusions: Under the optimal culture requirements, the maximum exopolysaccharide production reached 3AE5 g l )1 after 10 days of fermentation, while the maximum production of mycelial growth achieved 14AE5 g l )1 after 8 days of fermentation. Significance and Impact of the Study: This is the first report on the submerged culture requirements for mycelial growth and exopolysaccharide in C. jiangxiensis, and this two-step optimization strategy in this study can be widely applied to other microbial fermentation processes.
