Cantharellus is a well-known genus of edible mushrooms, belonging to the family Hydnaceae in the class Agaricomycetes. In this study, a phylogenetic overview of Cantharellus subg. Cinnabarinus and C. subg. Parvocantharellus in China is carried out with the description of four new species. Species description are based on morphological characters of basidiomata and phylogenetic analyses of multi-locus dataset of 28S + tef1 + rpb2. Among the new species, two species, C. chrysanthus and C. sinocinnabarinus, belong to C. subg. Cinnabarinus and two new species, C. convexus and C. neopersicinus, belong to C. subg. Parvocantharellus. Species delimitation characters of the new taxa are compared with closely related species. In addition, three new records of Cantharellus are reported for China: C. albovenosus and C. citrinus of subg. Cinnabarinus and C. koreanus of subg. Parvocantharellus. A key to the species of subg. Cinnabarinus in China was provided.

The widely cultivated Chinese Lingzhi is a famous fungus with significant medicinal and economic value, which has commonly been misidentified as Ganoderma lucidum for a long period of time. The scientific binomial of the fungus is always a hotly debated question that revolves around G. lingzhi and G. sichuanense. To interpret the species concept of the taxon, six specific primers for G. sichuanense and one universal primer were designed. Through directed and nested PCRs, we obtained nine ITS sequences from the holotype (HMAS 42798) of G. sichuanense. By genome sequencing, the ITS sequence of the first cultivated Lingzhi (HMAS 25103) was assembled. Based on a phylogenetic study of the genus Ganoderma, the correct name for widely cultivated Ganoderma species in China was confirmed as G. sichuanense, and G. lingzhi should be a later synonym.

Entomogenous fungi are one of the most diverse fungal groups among ascomycetes. During investigations of macro-fungi biodiversity in Kaihua and Putuo in Zhejiang Province, China, in 2021, several entomopathogenic fungal specimens were collected from subtropical forests. After a careful examination of morphology and multi-gene phylogenetic analyses applying nrSSU, nrLSU, tef1, rpb1 and rpb2, two novel species were discovered, described herein as Blackwellomyces kaihuaensis and Metarhizium putuoense, and further compared with other similar species. Detailed descriptions, color photographs of fresh specimen and figures illustrating microscopic features of the two new species are provided.

There is an increasing challenge in probiotic viability and stability during food product formulation, processing, and storage. However, synbiotic functional foods have promising potential to deliver the targeted benefits. This study aimed to isolate the okara from soybean residue, and obtained okara flour was further characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). Synbiotic ice cream was developed by fortification with Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG and okara at different concentrations (1–3%). Additionally, the synbiotic ice cream was subjected to physicochemical and sensory attributes over 60 days of storage. High viability of L. rhamnosus GG (8.17 log CFU/mL) was observed during storage at 3% okara. Moreover, adding okara at 2% or higher improved viscosity, reduced overrun, and maintained probiotic viability. When compared to the control (ice cream without okara), synbiotic ice cream exhibited a higher protein content and a lower fat level. The synergistic combination of probiotics and okara in ice cream is a potentially novel approach for developing functional ice cream. The addition of okara is not only helpful in increasing the nutritional value of the ice cream but will also be a way forward to minimize agricultural waste. Synbiotic ice cream developed in this study may be considered a potential functional food rich in protein and low in fat.