The odorous volatile metabolites produced by 29 ligninolytic Basidiomycete strains (identified by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectroscopy — GC-MS) and the flavour quality of their cultures were investigated on 6 different liquid media tested with and without agitation. 113 compounds were identified, the most numerous being alcohols (2-methyl 1-propanol, 2-methyl 1-butanol, 3 methyl 1-butanol, 2 phenyl ethanol, 3,4, dimethoxy phenyl methanol, 4 vinyl phenol), aldehydes (3, 4 dimethoxybenzaldehyde) and ketones (4-hydroxy 3-methyl 2-phenyl 2-cyclopentene 1-one). One third of these compounds possessed an aromatic skeleton. The influences of medium composition and agitation conditions on the odorous profile are discussed. A strain specificity within several species was also observed. © 1990, British Mycological Society. All rights reserved.