Abstract:The quality differences among different varieties of shiitake mushrooms were studied to establish a quality evaluation system for shiitake mushrooms of different varieties. A total of 17 appearance quality and inner gas quality indicators of 12 shiitake mushroom varieties were determined. The variability of each quality indicator among the varieties was analyzed， and the quality of shiitake mushrooms was comprehensively evaluated by principal component analysis， cluster analysis， and discriminant analysis. The results showed that the quality indicators of shiitake mushrooms presented variability among the 12 varieties. The L* value of shiitake mushrooms varied significantly， ranging from 47.1 to 58.3， with a coefficient of variation being 6.1%， and the variety ′1190′ had the largest L* value. The variety ′1171′ had higher cap thickness， stipe diameter， and hardness， which were（23.7±3.8） mm，（60.2±4.9） mm， and（6.6±0.9） kg/m2， respectively. The variety ′E255′had the largest cap diameter of（67.6±3.8） mm. The coefficients of variation of cap thickness， cap diameter，stipe diameter， and hardness were all greater than 30%， indicating large variability of these indicators among varieties. The principal component analysis and linear discriminant analysis showed the cumulative variance contribution rates of 95.971 1% and 95.238 4%， respectively. The cluster analysis classified the 12 varieties of shiitake mushrooms into 3 groups. The gas content of different shiitake mushrooms varied significantly.