Eleven mycelial strains of the genus Hericium were isolated to investigate the variability in milk-clotting activity and ability to coagulate ultra-high-temperature pasteurized milk (UHT-milk) of their crude enzymes. As well, the antifungal activity of cheese prepared using the crude enzymes was assessed. Based on sequence analysis of ITS-5.8S ribosomal DNA, 8 strains were identified as H. erinaceus, 2 as H. abietis, and 1 as Hericium sp. Notable differences were observed among the species and within strains in terms of milk-clotting activity of the crude enzyme preparation. The UHT-milk coagulation ability was detected in 5 strains of H. erinaceus and showed no correlation with the potency of milk-clotting activity. Furthermore, all cheese samples prepared from low-temperature pasteurized milk using the crude enzymes from the 8 strains of H. erinaceus and ripened for 30 days at 13℃ showed growth inhibitory activity toward Aspergillus niger NBRC 105649. Thus, the crude enzyme preparation from H. erinaceus may be useful for cheese production.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.