Volatile profiles of log-cultivated shiitake (Lentinula edodes) on four hardwood species by HS-SPME/GC-MS

Lee, C.-H., Lin, C.-Y., Liu, S.-L., Chen, Y.-J., and Cheng, S.-S. (2026). "Volatile profiles of log-cultivated shiitake (Lentinula edodes) on four hardwood species by HS-SPME/GC-MS," BioResources 21(3), 6398–6415.

Abstract

The volatile profiles of shiitake mushrooms (Lentinula edodes) cultivated on logs of Liquidambar formosana, Cinnamomum burmannii, Quercus glauca, and Q. variabilis were analyzed using headspace solid-phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-SPME/GC-MS). Distinct headspace volatile compositions were observed among log species and HS-SPME extraction temperatures. For fresh mushrooms analyzed at 25 °C, samples grown on L. formosana and Q. variabilis contained abundant linalool, whereas those cultivated on C. burmannii and Q. glauca were dominated by C8 alcohols such as 3-octanol. When fresh mushrooms were analyzed at 100 °C, the profiles shifted toward long-chain fatty acids, including n-hexadecanoic acid and linoleic acid. Dried mushrooms were analyzed only under 100 °C HS-SPME condition and exhibited similar patterns across all log species, with linoleic acid and n-hexadecanoic acid as the predominant components. These findings suggest that log species and HS-SPME extraction temperature are associated with distinct headspace volatile profiles, possibly through differences in substrate-derived chemical environments, temperature-dependent volatilization, and compound transformation, thereby shaping the potential aroma characteristics of log-cultivated shiitake mushrooms.

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**Volatile Profiles of Log-Cultivated Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) on Four Hardwood Species by HS-SPME/GC-MS**

Chih-Hung Lee ,^a,b Chun-Ya Lin,^c Su-Ling Liu,^d Ying-Ju Chen ^e,* and Sen-Sung Cheng ^a,d,*

DOI: 10.15376/biores.21.3.6398-6415

Keywords: Cinnamomum burmannii; Liquidambar formosana; Odor composition; Quercus glauca; Quercus variabilis; Shiitake mushroom; Volatile compounds

Contact information: a: School of Forestry and Resource Conservation, College of Bio-Resources and Agriculture, National Taiwan University, Taipei 106319, Taiwan; b: Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; c: Department of Wood Based Materials and Design, College of Agriculture, National Chiayi University, Chiayi 600355, Taiwan; d: The Experimental Forest, College of Bio-Resources and Agriculture, National Taiwan University, Nantou 557004, Taiwan; e: Forest Products Utilization Division, Taiwan Forestry Research Institute, Ministry of Agriculture, Taipei 100051, Taiwan;

Corresponding author: yingju@tfri.edu.tw; sscheng@ntu.edu.tw

INTRODUCTION

The shiitake mushroom (Lentinula edodes) is a well-known edible fungus valued for its characteristic aroma and nutritional benefits (Zhang et al. 2016; Piska et al. 2017; Morales et al. 2019). Its volatile compounds, including alcohols, ketones, and sulfur-containing molecules, contribute to distinctive sensory attributes that determine consumer preference and product quality (Zhang et al. 2010; Politowicz et al. 2018). In Taiwan, log cultivation of shiitake mushrooms not only supports sustainable forest utilization but also adds economic value to afforested lands (Huang et al. 1988; Huang et al. 1990; Lu 2017).

The selection of appropriate log species is therefore crucial for optimizing both yield and flavor quality (Tisdale et al. 2006; Chiou and Tsao 2017).

Wood composition plays a pivotal role in determining the growth environment and metabolic activity of shiitake mycelia (Li et al. 2019). Previous studies have shown that bacterial or substrate volatiles can alter fungal metabolite production (Orban et al. 2023), implying that wood-derived compounds could similarly influence the biosynthesis of odor-causing molecules during fruiting body development. In Taiwan and East Asia, Liquidambar formosana, Cinnamomum burmannii, Quercus glauca, and Q. variabilis are among the most common or suitable hardwood species used for shiitake log cultivation, owing to their moderate density, moisture retention, and stable nutrient composition (Huang et al. 1988; Huang et al. 1990; Lu 2017). These species exhibit notable variations in essential oil and extractive compositions, including phenolic, terpenoid, and fatty acid constituents characteristic of each genus (Al-Dhubiab 2012; Ouyang et al. 2016; Burlacu et al. 2020). Such chemical diversity may influence the metabolic environment during shiitake cultivation and contribute to differences in volatile profiles among mushrooms grown on different logs.

Previous studies have examined how drying, heating, and cultivation conditions modulate shiitake volatiles, showing that drying temperature and method can alter the relative abundance of lipid-derived volatiles (e.g., 1-octen-3-ol) and linoleic-acid-related products (Politowicz et al. 2018; Lu et al. 2022). Studies incorporating odor-activity evaluation or gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (GC-IMS) further indicate that physical or thermal processing enhances fatty-acid-derived notes while modifying sulfurous components (Hu et al. 2024; Xie et al. 2024). Electronic-nose approaches combined with multivariate analysis have also been applied to distinguish volatile fingerprints of mushrooms under different processing or storage conditions (Guo et al. 2022). However, most previous investigations have compared cultivation substrates or focused on processing conditions, whereas studies based on the use of different log species as cultivation materials remain limited.

Against this background, the present study characterizes the headspace volatile composition of Lentinula edodes cultivated on four hardwood species—L. formosana, C. burmannii, Q. glauca, and Q. variabilis—under ambient and heated conditions using headspace solid-phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-SPME/GC-MS). The analysis compares volatile profiles across log species and temperature treatments, which were designed to simulate aroma release under room and cooking conditions, reflecting the sensory experience during consumption. It identifies major compound classes and interprets compositional differences by referring to previously recognized lipid- and sulfur-related odor compounds that are known to shape shiitake aroma. Additionally, odor characteristics of representative compounds were interpreted based on previous reports and odor databases to provide qualitative context for the chemical results, acknowledging that quantitative sensory evaluation and OAV assessment were not conducted in this study. These findings provide fundamental insights into how cultivation materials affect mushroom aroma characteristics and establish a baseline for future studies integrating chemical analysis with sensory perception.

EXPERIMENTAL

Materials

Shiitake mushrooms

Fresh shiitake mushrooms (Lentinula edodes, product 922) were cultivated on logs of four tree species, including Liquidambar formosana (18 years), Cinnamomum burmannii (14 years), Quercus variabilis (26 years) and Q. glauca (22 years), at the Experimental Forest of National Taiwan University. The samples were collected from the Neimaopu and Heshe working circles of the Experimental Forest, as recorded in the original experimental report. For each log species, fruiting bodies were collected from multiple logs and pooled for analysis. Fruiting bodies with similar external maturity were selected based on the practical experience of the Experimental Forest staff. Growth cycle and fruiting body size were not quantitatively recorded. After harvest, mushrooms were transported to the laboratory and stored at -20 °C until analysis. The four log species were selected based on their practical use or suitability for shiitake log cultivation rather than matched tree age. Therefore, possible effects of tree age on wood chemical composition and mushroom volatile profiles could not be excluded and are acknowledged as a limitation of this study.

Chemicals used for identification

The α-pinene (purity, 99%), p-cymene (99%), limonene (97%), γ-terpinene (98%), linalool (97%), and borneol (98%) were purchased from Acros; 1-octen-3-ol (98%) was purchased from Alfa Aesar; 3-octanone (98%), 3-octanol (99%) and camphor (97%) were purchased from Aldrich; 1,8-cineole (98%) was purchased from TCI (Japan); and trans-ocimene (90%) and naphthalene (98%) were purchased from Fluka.

Drying Process

Fresh mushrooms were dried using a modified method (Huang et al. 1988; Huang et al. 1990). Drying was conducted sequentially at 45 °C for 8 h, 55 °C for 8 h, 60 °C for 4 h, 70 °C for 2 h, and 80 °C for 1 h, totaling 23 h. Dried samples were stored in sealed bags for analysis. In the present study, dried samples were analyzed only under the 100 °C HS-SPME condition; dried mushrooms were not analyzed at ambient temperature. Therefore, the dried-sample results should be interpreted as volatile profiles of dried mushrooms under simulated hot-preparation conditions rather than as the effect of drying alone. Moisture content was measured for fresh mushroom samples as supporting sample information. For dried mushrooms, complete moisture-content records were not available for all log species; therefore, moisture content was not included as a quantitative factor in the statistical analysis.

Adsorption of Odor-Causing Components

Solid-phase microextraction (SPME) with a 100 μm polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) fiber was used to adsorb headspace odor compounds from mushroom powder. The procedure was modified from Lagalante and Montgomery (2003). In this study, “fresh mushrooms” refer to undried fruiting bodies stored at -20 °C after harvest, whereas “dried mushrooms” refer to samples subjected to the drying process described above. Both fresh and dried mushrooms were ground under liquid nitrogen before HS-SPME extraction, and the resulting powders were placed in 20 mL headspace vials. Fresh mushroom samples powders were analyzed at two HS-SPME extraction temperatures, 25 °C and 100 °C, for 30 min. Dried mushroom powders were analyzed only at 100 °C for 30 min to simulate hot preparation of dried shiitake mushrooms. After extraction, the SPME fiber was immediately desorbed in the GC injection port for GC-MS analysis. In this study, replicate analyses were based on individual fruiting bodies. Each injection used powder prepared from one individual mushroom, and each powdered sample was analyzed once. Thus, the replicate number represents independent mushroom samples rather than repeated injections of the same sample. Preliminary trials were conducted for dried mushrooms at ambient temperature; however, the headspace signals were too weak for reliable profiling. Therefore, dried samples were analyzed only at 100 °C in the final experimental design.

Analysis of Odor-Causing Components

GC-MS analysis was conducted based on the method by Zhou et al. (2020) with slight modifications. A Polaris Q GC-MS System (Thermo) equipped with a DB-5ms fused silica capillary column (30 m × 0.25 mm × 0.25 µm) was used. Helium (5N5) served as the carrier gas at 0.80 mL/min. The injection port temperature was 250 °C, and the MS ion source temperature was 200 °C, with a mass range of m/z 33 to 450 amu. The temperature program started at 40 °C (held for 3 min), increased to 90 °C at 5 °C/min, and then to 230 °C at 10 °C/min, where it was held for 7 min. A split ratio of 10:1 was used for injection.

The components were identified from the mass spectra by comparing these spectra with the Wiley 7.0 and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) 2.0 databases, and with an author constructed standards database; an arithmetic index (AI) was employed to perform the comparison. (Shen et al. 2006; Adams 2007; Babushok et al. 2011; Hang et al. 2012; Lan et al. 2017; Politowicz et al. 2018; Kim et al. 2020). Identifications were verified using the standards, and the percentage of each odor-causing component was calculated on the basis of the peak areas in the gas chromatogram, as follows,

AI = 100 × {n + [RT (x) – RT (n)]/[RT (n + 1) – RT (n)]} (1)

where RT (n) and RT (n + 1) are the retention time of n-alkanes with carbon number n and n + 1, respectively, and RT (x) is the retention time of an unknown compound x, with RT (n) ≤ RT (x) ≤ RT (n + 1).

Statistical Analysis

All statistical analyses were conducted using Python 3.13 with the SciPy library. Relative contents of volatile compounds were calculated based on GC peak area percentages and are reported as mean ± standard deviation where replicate data were available. Independent-samples t-test were used to compare selected volatile compounds between fresh and dried treatments for each log species when both treatment groups contained at least two replicates. The confidence interval was set at 95% (p < 0.05). Because not all compounds were detected across all samples and treatments, statistical comparisons were performed only for compounds with sufficient replicate data.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Analysis of Odor-Causing Components in Fresh Shiitake Mushrooms Cultivated on Logs of Various Tree Species

The volatile constituents of fresh shiitake mushroom cultivated on four hardwood log species were analyzed using headspace solid-phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC-MS). The results are presented in Fig. 1, Table 1, and Fig. 2.

At ambient temperature (25 °C), 21 compounds were identified in mushrooms grown on L. formosana logs (Lf), accounting for 97.6% of the total volatiles. The dominant odor-causing components were linalool (43.9%), 1-octen-3-ol (10.9%), and limonene (8.6%). For C. burmannii logs (Cb), 17 compounds were identified, comprising 100% of the total volatiles. The major components were 3-octanol (33.3%), 1-octen-3-ol (10.9%), 3-octanone (10.5%), and linalool (8.9%). In mushrooms cultivated on Q. variabilis logs (Qv), 26 volatiles were detected, representing 97.2% of the total. The dominant compounds were linalool (24.0%), dimethyl trisulfide (23.7%), dimethyl disulfide (12.5%), and 1-octen-3-ol (8.9%). For Q. glauca logs (Qg), 13 compounds were identified, accounting for 93.9% of the total volatiles, with 3-octanol (32.7%) and 3-octanone (30.1%) being the most abundant.

According to Politowicz et al. (2018), 1-octen-3-ol is one of the major volatile compounds in fresh shiitake mushrooms, accounting for approximately 20% of the total volatiles. In this study, 1-octen-3-ol was consistently detected under all log conditions, ranging from 3.9 to 10.9%. Linalool was also present in all samples, with its relative content highest in Lf (43.9%) and lowest in Qg (1.9%); however, it was not reported by Politowicz et al. (2018).

In addition, α-pinene, 3-octanone, 3-octanol, p-cymene, limonene, 1,8-cineole, p-propyltoluene, 1,2,4-trithiolane, and 2-phenyl-2-butenal were found across all samples, although with variable proportions. Sulfur-containing compounds, particularly dimethyl disulfide and dimethyl trisulfide, were notable in Qv, whereas in the other samples they appeared only in trace amounts (e.g., 6.0% dimethyl trisulfide in Lf) or were undetected.

Fig. 1. Gas chromatograms of fresh L. edodes cultivated on four logs at ambient temperature. Lf: L. formosana; Cb: C. burmannii; Qv: Q. variabilis; Qg: Q. glauca

Previous studies have identified lanthionine as a sulfur-containing precursor that can decompose to form dimethyl disulfide and dimethyl trisulfide (Zhang et al. 2010). The higher relative abundance of sulfur-containing volatiles in Qv may therefore be related to differences in substrate-derived chemical environments during mushroom development. However, because precursor compounds and metabolic pathways were not directly measured in this study, this interpretation should be regarded as a possible explanation rather than direct evidence of pathway regulation. Overall, the compositional patterns indicate that the log species used for cultivation were associated with distinct volatile profiles in fresh L. edodes under ambient conditions.

Fig. 2. Chemical structures of the primary odor-causing components of fresh L. edodes cultivated on four logs at ambient temperature

Table 1. Percentages of Odor-causing Components of Fresh L. edodes Cultivated on Four Tree Log Types at Ambient Temperature

Effects of HS-SPME Extraction Temperature on the Odor-Causing Components of Fresh Shiitake Mushrooms

To simulate typical culinary preparation, the effect of heating on the volatile composition of fresh shiitake mushroom cultivated on different logs was examined at 100 °C. The results are summarized in Fig. 3, Table 2, and Fig. 4.

Fig. 3. Gas chromatograms of fresh L. edodes cultivated on four logs at high temperature (100 °C). Lf: L. formosana; Cb: C. burmannii; Qv: Q. variabilis; Qg: Q. glauca

Fig. 4. Chemical structures of the primary odor-causing components of fresh L. edodes cultivated on four logs at high temperature (100 °C).

At high temperature, 17 compounds were identified in Lf sample, accounting for 96.4% of the total volatiles. The dominant components were n-hexadecanoic acid (34.5%), octadecanoic acid (27.3%), and diethylhexyl adipate (9.9%). In Cb sample, 23 compounds were detected, comprising 99.7% of the total, with ethyl linoleate (73.1%) and ethyl hexadecanoate (11.4%) as the main constituents. For Qv, 22 compounds were identified, representing 96.6% of the total volatiles, and the predominant species were linoleic acid (38.1%) and n-hexadecanoic acid (32.0%). In Qg, 26 compounds were detected, accounting for 99.1% of the total, with ethyl linoleate (68.0%) and ethyl hexadecanoate (13.5%) as the principal components.

Heating at 100 °C clearly shifted the volatile balance from lower molecular weight odorants toward high molecular weight fatty acids and their ethyl esters. n-hexadecanoic acid dominated in Lf and Qv, whereas ethyl linoleate prevailed in Cb and Qg. Conversely, n-hexadecanoic acid was scarce or undetected in Cb and Qg, while ethyl linoleate was absent in Lf and Qv. Several lower molecular weight volatiles, including 1-octen-3-ol, 3-octanol, p-cymene, limonene, linalool, and 1,2,4-trithiolane, were detected at both temperature conditions but decreased markedly after heating. For instance, linalool decreased from 43.9 % to 4.5 % in Lf and from 24.0 % to 5.0 % in Qv, while 3-octanol decreased from 33.3 % to 0.1 % in Cb and from 32.7 % to 0.2 % in Qg (Tables 1 and 2).

Table 2. Percentages of Odor-causing Components of Fresh L. edodes Cultivated on Four Tree Log Types at High Temperature (100 °C)

These results should be interpreted as changes in the headspace volatile profile during HS-SPME extraction rather than as direct changes in the total chemical composition of mushroom tissue. For fresh mushrooms, the 100 °C extraction was conducted in sealed headspace vials; therefore, the lower relative abundance of low-molecular-weight odorants does not necessarily indicate their absolute loss from the sample. Instead, the shift may reflect temperature-dependent changes in headspace partitioning, enhanced release of less volatile lipid-derived components, and possible thermal transformation of some compounds during extraction. In particular, long-chain fatty acids and their ethyl esters may become more detectable under the heated HS-SPME condition, thereby reducing the relative percentage of C8 alcohols, ketones, and other lower-molecular-weight volatiles. This interpretation is consistent with previous reports showing that thermal treatment can involve lipid oxidation, ester-related transformations, and degradation of sulfur-containing precursors in mushrooms (Zhang et al. 2010; Zhou et al. 2020; Xie et al. 2024). Overall, both log species and HS-SPME extraction temperature jointly shape the detected headspace volatile profiles.

Odor-Causing Components of Dried Shiitake Mushrooms under Heated HS-SPME Conditions

To simulate the hot preparation of dried shiitake mushrooms, dried mushroom powders cultivated on different logs were analyzed only at 100 °C during HS-SPME extraction. Ambient-temperature HS-SPME trials of dried samples produced signals that were too weak for reliable profiling and therefore were not included in the final results. Accordingly, the following results describe the headspace volatile profiles of dried mushrooms under a heated HS-SPME condition, rather than the effect of drying alone. The results are summarized in Fig. 5 and Table 3.

At high temperature, 14 compounds were identified in the dried Lf sample, accounting for 96.1% of the total volatiles. The dominant odor-causing components were linoleic acid (37.4%) and n-hexadecanoic acid (29.7%). In the dried mushrooms cultivated on Cb, 10 compounds were identified (97.3% of the total), with linoleic acid (55.7%) and n-hexadecanoic acid (34.9%) as the major constituents. For Qv, 13 compounds were detected (92.9%), dominated by linoleic acid (48.2%) and n-hexadecanoic acid (29.6%). In Qg, eight compounds were identified (99.1%), with linoleic acid (46.6%) and n-hexadecanoic acid (38.9%) as the principal volatiles. These findings indicate that linoleic acid and n-hexadecanoic acid are the predominant odor-causing components released from dried shiitake mushrooms cultivated on Cb, Qv, and Qg logs, while those grown on Lf primarily emit linoleic acid under heating.

Figure 6 compares the odor-causing components released at 100 °C from dried and fresh shiitake mushrooms cultivated on the four log species. Several consistent trends were observed. First, for Lf and Qv, the relative percentage of n-hexadecanoic acid was higher in fresh mushrooms than in dried ones. In contrast, mushrooms cultivated on Cb and Qg showed higher proportions of n-hexadecanoic acid after drying. Second, the proportion of linoleic acid increased markedly in all dried mushrooms compared to their fresh counterparts; notably, linoleic acid was undetectable in fresh Lf samples but became a major component after drying. Third, octadecanoic acid content decreased in dried Lf mushrooms but increased in the dried Cb, Qv, and Qg samples. Finally, ethyl linoleate appeared only in the fresh Cb and Qg samples and was absent in all dried mushrooms.

Fig. 5. Gas chromatograms of dried L. edodes cultivated on various tree species at high temperature (100°C). Lf: L. formosana; Cb: C. burmannii; Qv: Q. variabilis; Qg: Q. glauca

Fig. 6. Comparison of the primary odor-causing components of fresh versus dried L. edodes cultivated on various tree species at high temperature (100°C). Lf: L. formosana; Cb: C. burmannii; Qv: Q. variabilis; Qg: Q. glauca. Significance levels indicated as * (p < 0.05), ** (p < 0.01), and *** (p < 0.001)

Table 3. Percentages of Odor-causing Components of Dried L. edodes Cultivated on Four Tree Log Types at High Temperature (100 °C)

Overall, fatty acids were the predominant odor-causing compounds in both fresh and dried shiitake mushrooms under high-temperature HS-SPME conditions. Compared with fresh samples analyzed at 100 °C, dried samples showed a more consistent dominance of linoleic acid and n-hexadecanoic acid across log species. This pattern may be partly related to volatilization or loss of some lower-molecular-weight odorants during the multi-stage drying process, which included temperatures above room temperature. It may also reflect the enhanced detection of long-chain fatty acids during subsequent heated HS-SPME extraction. In addition, lipid-related transformations during drying and heating may contribute to the accumulation or formation of fatty-acid-derived components. However, because dried samples were not analyzed at ambient temperature, the separate effects of drying alone and heated HS-SPME extraction could not be fully distinguished. Such compositional shifts are consistent with previous reports that thermal processing can alter fatty-acid-derived volatiles and contribute to oily or fatty aroma impressions in cooked mushrooms (Xie et al. 2024).

Literature-Based Odor Interpretation

To contextualize the chemical results, the odor characteristics of the major volatile compounds identified in this study were interpreted based on previously reported sensory descriptions and established odor databases (Mosciano et al. 1995, 1998; Szumny et al. 2010; Elsharif et al. 2015; Xiao et al. 2016; Fan et al. 2017; Politowicz et al. 2018; The Good Scent Company 2021; Zhang et al. 2021).

For example, linalool is commonly described as having lavender and citrus notes, 3-octanol as mushroom and nutty, and 3-octanone as mushroom-like with cheese or moldy nuances. Dimethyl disulfide and dimethyl trisulfide contribute sulfurous and onion-like odors, whereas 1-octen-3-ol imparts herbal and earthy mushroom characteristics. Other identified volatiles, including limonene (citrus-like), camphor (camphoraceous), and long-chain fatty acids (oily or buttery), also align with established sensory profiles. By integrating these references with compositional patterns observed in the present study, qualitative odor tendencies can be inferred.

Based on the reported odor descriptors of individual compounds and the relative compositional patterns observed in this study, possible odor tendencies were inferred qualitatively. At ambient temperature, mushrooms cultivated on L. formosana were likely associated with lavender-, citrus-, and mushroom-like notes, because of the relatively high abundance of linalool, limonene, and 1-octen-3-ol. Mushrooms from C. burmannii may show stronger mushroom and nutty characteristics, mainly corresponding to 3-octanol, 1-octen-3-ol, and 3-octanone. Samples from Q. variabilis may have additional sulfurous attributes associated with dimethyl disulfide and dimethyl trisulfide, whereas Q. glauca may be characterized primarily by mushroom-like C8 alcohols and ketones.

Upon heating, fatty acid derived compounds became more prominent, suggesting a possible shift toward fatty, waxy, oily, or buttery odor impressions. In dried mushrooms from all log species, linoleic acid and n-hexadecanoic acid predominated, which may correspond to a generally fatty or slightly oily odor tendency based on published odor descriptors. It should be emphasized that this section provides qualitative, literature-based interpretations only. No direct sensory evaluation, trained-panel assessment, or odor activity value (OAV/ROAV) calculation was conducted in this study. Therefore, the odor tendencies discussed here should not be interpreted as confirmed sensory perceptions or quantitative aroma contributions. Nonetheless, these associations provide a preliminary sensory framework for linking volatile composition, temperature treatment, and potential aroma impressions of shiitake mushrooms cultivated on different log species. Future studies should combine HS-SPME/GC-MS analysis with OAV/ROAV calculation and standardized sensory evaluation to validate the sensory relevance of these volatile compounds.

Table 4. Sensory Description of Odor-causing Components of Shiitake Mushroom

CONCLUSIONS

The composition of odor-causing components in shiitake mushrooms varied among log species. Linalool was dominant in mushrooms cultivated on L. formosana and Q. variabilis, whereas 3-octanol predominated in those grown on C. burmannii and Q. glauca.
Heating shifted the detected headspace volatile profiles from lower-molecular-weight alcohols and ketones toward long-chain fatty acids and esters such as n-hexadecanoic acid, linoleic acid, and ethyl linoleate. This shift may reflect temperature-dependent headspace partitioning, enhanced thermal release of less volatile lipid-derived components, and lipid-related transformations. For dried samples, prior drying may also have contributed to the volatilization or loss of some lower-molecular-weight odorants.
In dried mushrooms, linoleic acid and n-hexadecanoic acid remained predominant, likely reflecting oxidative concentration and compositional stabilization during dehydration.
Both log type and temperature jointly influenced the distribution of odor-causing components in shiitake mushrooms. These effects may be associated with differences in wood extractives and thermally induced lipid-related and sulfur-related transformations. The findings provide chemical insights into how cultivation materials and thermal conditions shape the potential aroma characteristics of log-grown shiitake mushrooms.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors express special thanks to the Experimental Forest of National Taiwan University for providing the materials.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

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Article submitted: December 16, 2025; Peer review completed: April 17, 2026; Revisions accepted: May 18, 2026; Published: May 27, 2026.

DOI: 10.15376/biores.21.3.6398-6415