Application of near Infrared Spectroscopy to the Measurement of Cell Mass in Solid Cultures of Mushroom

Near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy was applied to the prediction of the growth rate of mushroom, Ganoderma lucidum, in a solid culture. Cell mass is conventionally measured by analysing the concentration of glucosamine which is a component of the cell wall. The correlation between the concentration of glucosamine obtained by the conventional method and that obtained by NIR spectroscopy was examined by multiple regression analysis. The value predicted by NIR spectroscopy was in fairly good agreement with that obtained by the conventional method. This result suggests that NIR spectroscopy is applicable to the prediction of growth rate in the solid culture and gives a useful method for the control of mushroom production.