Three species of cultivated fungi of the genus Pleurotus, P. pulmonarius, P. sajor-caju, and P. ostreatus, were studied to determine the effect of different substrates on their production of fatty acids and secondary metabolites.It was discovered that the substrate had a marked influence on fungal composition by promoting the production of a more diverse variety of compounds or by increasing their content.Fungi cultivated on substrates containing cacao shells demonstrated an increased biosynthesis of triterpenoids with greater structural diversity.Their content, however, was less than that obtained using cereal residue substrates.The species P. ostreatus had the highest triterpenoid content, followed by P. pulmonarius and, finally, P. sajor-caju.