Abstract
Antrodia cinnamomea, a renowned rare medicinal fungus in China, is rich in active components, exhibiting pharmacological effects, such as liver protection, hypoglycemic activity, and anti-tumor properties. Aiming to address the lack of horizontal comparative studies on volatile components of A. cinnamomea under different culture methods and the limitations of traditional detection methods, this study investigated the mycelia of A. cinnamomea cultured by solid-state culture (SAC), liquid culture (LAC), and dish culture (DAC). The flavor profiles were comprehensively evaluated using a combination of electronic tongue (E-tongue), electronic nose (E-nose), gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (GC-IMS), and multivariate statistical methods. Results from E-tongue and E-nose showed distinct flavor profiles among the three culture methods. A total of 75 volatile compounds were detected by GC-IMS, among which esters, alcohols, and ketones were the main components, accounting for 62.7%. Partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) identified 41 characteristic volatile compounds, and cluster heatmaps and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) further validated the metabolic preferences among culture methods. These findings provide a scientific basis for improving A. cinnamomea product quality through targeted flavor enhancement, support the development of standardized functional foods, and establish a flavor fingerprint for authenticity assessment, advancing the high-value utilization of this medicinal fungus.