Abstract: The composition and content of free amino acids (FAAs) in cultivated and wild Morchella collected from Yunnan, Sichuan, Jilin and Gansu provinces were detected using an automatic amino acid analyzer, and their taste characteristics were evaluated by taste activity value (TAV). Additionally, comprehensive evaluation was conducted by principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis. The results showed that wild Morchella contained abundant FAAs, with total contents of 18 FAAs ranging from 29.04 to 35.48 mg/g. Neither Trp nor Pro was detected in cultivated Morchella, and the total FAA content of cultivated Morchella greatly varied obviously among the samples from different provinces, ranging from 20.77 to 43.07 mg/g. The total FAA content of wild Morchella was generally higher than that of cultivated Morchella from the same provinces, and thus the former could taste better than the latter. The contents of sweet, bitter and aromatic amino acids in cultivated Morchella from Jilin were relatively high. Glu had the greatest effects on the umami taste of Mochella. The TAV of wild and cultivated Morchella were in the range of 13.75–17.79, and 5.28–11.02, respectively. Wild Morchella from Yunnan had the highest content of umami amino acids. Arg had the highest TAV of the bitter amino acids. The content of bitter amino acids in wild Morchella was lower than that in cultivated Morchella. In conclusion, wild Morchella has a strong umami taste, and cultivated Morchella from Jilin has the best nutritional quality in terms of amino acids.

Key words: Morchella; free amino acids; taste activity value; principal component analysis; cluster analysis