Mushrooms play crucial roles as reservoirs of naturally occurring bioactive compounds. Among these, Cordyceps militaris is significant because of its well-established reputation for organoleptic excellence and positive health effects, which have led to its widespread commercialization. In contrast, the key properties of Paecilomyces variotii, an ectomycorrhizal symbiont, has received limited attention. In alignment with current research trends, the study of the mycelia and culture media of these mushrooms hold promise in identifying potential sources of valuable bioactive compounds. In the present study, we investigated C. militaris and P. variotii for their phenolic acids and sterols, assessing antioxidant capacity, anti-inflammatory effects, and anti-proliferative activity. Interestingly, P. variotii mycelia exhibited higher concentrations of ergosterol and phenolic compounds, with comparable levels observed in the fruiting bodies, along with superior antioxidant activity compared to that of C. militaris. In contrast, C. militaris mycelia demonstrated anti-inflammatory effects (which were absent in P. variotii mycelia) and cytotoxicity comparable to, and at times exceeding, that of its fruiting bodies (in contrast to P. variotii). In addition, the species analyzed in this study displayed variations in growth rates and mycelial production, which merit consideration for potential future applications and further study.

Mushroom-based vegan meat has thus far been used as a food for humans instead of pets. However, based on its texture and nutritional content, it is considered suitable for processing into pet treats. In the present study, we developed a prototype dog chew with a sweetening coating added to a fungal mycelium mat obtained by culturing the Basidiomycetous fungus Trametes orientalis. The palatable coating applied to the mycelium mat by plasticizing the mat with glycerol improved the taste and aroma of the existing mat, and the dog consumed it without difficulty. Future improvements may include a softening process to reduce the chewiness level and a procedure to reduce the crude fiber content. Mycelium-mat-based dog chews, manufactured using eco-friendly materials and processes that are not harmful to the environment are expected to enter the market as eco-friendly alternatives to conventional pet treats. Controlling their physical properties require further study.

This study aimed to verify the whitening effect of Cordyceps militaris, which is distributed in several countries worldwide, including Korea, Japan, and China, and has various medical effects. To screen the efficacy of C. militaris, the inhibitory activity of tyrosinase, which was 66% at a concentration of 1 mg/mL, was measured. Thereafter, the survival rate of melanoma cells was measured, and cell experiments were conducted at a concentration of 90% or more in which C. militaris was not toxic to cells. After measuring the inhibitory effect of TRP-1, TRP-2, tyrosinase protein, and mRNA expression, which are factors influencing melanin synthesis, C. militaris was found to decrease in all factors, with an expression level that was significantly lower compared to quercetin. This confirmed that C. militaris stimulated with LED has excellent whitening activity and can be used as a functional whitening cosmetics material.

Wolfiporia cocos is an edible fungus commercially cultivated in Asia. To investigate metabolic changes of W. cocos mycelia under both light and dark culture conditions, gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analyses were performed. In terms of the total amount of sugars, alcohols, amino acids, organic acids, fatty acids, and purines, there no significant differences between the W. cocos mycelia cultivated under light (L) or dark (D) conditions (p < 0.05). However, there were some differences with respect to the production of particular sugars and proteins. The levels of trehalose (L: 17.2 ± 0.3% vs. D: 13.9 ± 1.6%), maltose (L: 0.9 ± 0.1% vs. D: 0.3 ± 0.1%), turanose (L: 0.7 ± 0.2% vs. D: 0.1 ± 0.1%), glutamine (L: 1.6 ± 0.3% vs. D: 0.7 ± 0.2%), and proline (L: 0.3 ± 0% vs. D: 0.1 ± 0%) were all significantly higher under light condition (p < 0.05). In contrast, the levels of galactose (L: 13.7 ± 1.2% vs. D: 17.6 ± 2.0%), aspartic acid (L: 0.6 ± 0.1 % vs. D: 0.9 ± 0.1%), cystathionine (L: 0.6 ± 0.1% vs. D: 0.8 ± 0 %), and malic acid (L: 0.7 ± 0.1% vs. D: 1.2 ± 0.1%) were higher under the dark condition. It is worth noting that the amount of pachymic acid, a pharmaceutically active compound of W. cocos, was 1.68 times greater under the light condition (p < 0.05).

Cordyceps militaris, a well-known traditional Chinese medicine, has multiple health-promoting effects. It is used as a herbal remedy and health food in Asian countries. Cultured mycelia are often used as a substitute for natural C. militaris. In the present study, the mycelia and fruiting bodies of artificially cultured C. militaris were analyzed using a metabolomics approach. The protein and crude fat contents of the mycelia were substantially higher than those of the fruiting bodies. The top three abundant amino acids in the mycelia were proline (3.9 g/100 g), aspartic acid (2.9 g/100 g), and glutamic acid (2.7 g/100 g). The carbohydrate content was similar in the fruiting bodies and mycelia. Analysis revealed that both the fruiting bodies and mycelia are rich in phenolic compounds and exhibit antioxidant activity. Further, six metabolites were significantly different between the mycelia and fruiting bodies. The levels of Ca, glucose, Mg, and Se were higher in the mycelia than in the fruiting bodies. In contrast, mannitol and Zn were more abundant in the fruiting bodies. The current study provides a comprehensive metabolic profile of the mycelia and fruiting bodies of artificially cultured C. militaris. Such an exercise is potentially important for understanding the metabolism of C. militaris and facilitating the use of cultured mycelia as a supplement to C. militaris fruiting bodies in traditional Chinese medicine.

The choice of the culture medium is an important factor for the mass production of mycelia in submerged cultures. The influence of liquid medium on the mycelial dry weight of Paecilomyces tenuipes was investigated in this study. The regression equation is expressed as Y=-1292.94187+17.78612X1+18.92425X2+2.11464X3-0.019375X1X2-0.006276X1X3+0.008177X2X3- 0.070169X1 2-0.292175X2 2-0.008818X3 2, where Y represents the value of the mycelial dry weight (g/L), X1 is the particle size of wood sawdust in liquid medium (mesh), X2 is the concentration of the wood sawdust in liquid medium, and X3 is incubation time (h). The medium was optimized using a response surface methodology, and the optimal medium contained 30 g of wood sawdust (140 mesh), 20 g of glucose, and 10 g/L of peptone. Under these conditions, the mycelial dry weight reached 38.1 g/L (actual value). The culture medium containing wood sawdust is simple and easy to use, highly efficient, and eco-friendly, and its effectiveness in large preparations of P. tenuipes mycelia with low material costs has been demonstrated.

Although aronia (Aronia melanocarpa (Michx.) Elliott) contains higher levels of polyphenols and more antioxidant activity than other berries, it is a berry that is difficult to eat raw due to its strong astringent taste and lack of sweetness. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the effect of tannin reduction of aronia by bioconversion method using mushroom mycelia cultures. Aronia and liquid cultures of Lentinula edodes and Phellinus linteus mycelia were mixed and then treated for 48 hours at 60°C. Tannin content, total polyphenol, total flavonoid and antioxidant activities (DPPH, ABTS radical-scavenging activities and FRAP activities) were investigated. The tannin content decreased from 64.2 mg ECE/g to 57.9 mg ECE/g (9.8% reduction) when treated with liquid culture of L. edodes and from 77.3 mg ECE/g to 47.9 mg ECE/g (38.1% reduction) from treatment with a liquid culture of P. linteus. Therefore treatment with mushroom mycelia culture solution may improve the palatability of aronia reducing the astringent taste.

The purpose of this study was to observe the effects of the polysaccharide (GLP) obtained from the liquid cultured Ganoderma lucidum on the lipidperoxidation in a rat liver microsome and hepatotoxicity in the primary cultured rat hepatocytes. It is well known that the polysaccharide of Ganoderma lucidum exhibits hepatoprotective activity, antitumor activity etc., which many suggest a relationship to lipidperoxidation. The effect of GLP on CCl4- and galactosamineintoxicated cytotoxicity in the primary cultured rat hepatocytes were reduced the GPT value. In order to the estimate the effects of anti-lipidperoxidation of the polysaccharide, enzymatic and nonenzymatic reaction assays were performed, in vitro, in the rat liver microsome. An enzymatic lipidperoxidation reaction by ADP＋FeCl3＋NADPH and CCl4＋NADPH, GLP (1 mg/mL) inhibited 77.4% and 39.4%, respectively, and the nonenzymatic reaction displayed a 97.4% strongly inhibition. In the enzymatic and nonenzymatic inducers treated with GLP, the formation of malondialdehyde (MDA) progressively decreased by raising the GLP concentration. These results suggest that the anti-lipidperoxidation and radical scavenging activity of GLP may play an important part in the liver protection action.

본 연구에서는, 표고버섯 균사체 발효 생물전환공법으로 생산된 미강생물전환소재(BPP-RB)가 가금티푸스의 주요 원인균인 S. Gallinarum에 감염된 닭 유래 대식세포주 HD- 11에 미치는 효과를 조사하였다. 그 결과, 미강생물전환소 재 추출액은 S. Gallinarum 277에 대한 직접적인 성장억제 효과를 보여주지 않았으며, 총단백질 및 분비단밸질 발현 양상에 어떠한 변화도 유도하지 못하였다. 하지만, 미강생 물전환소재 추출액은 (i) HD-11 대식세포의 탐식 능력 (phagocytic activity)을 활성화하였고, (ii) Th1-type cytokines (tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, iNOS)과 immunosuppressive cytokine IL-10의 발현 증가를 유도하였으며, (iii) Th2-type cytokines (IL-4, IL-6)의 발현은 감 소시키는 것으로 확인되었다. 이러한 결과를 종합하면, 미강생물전환소재는 가금 농장에서 가금티푸스 및 다른 Salmonella종의 감염을 예방하기 위한 사료첨가제로서의 가능성을 가지고 있다고 사료된다.

Turmeric is known for its ability to enhance immunity via anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant effects. Salmonella enterica species contain a large number of pathogenic serotypes that are adapted to a broad range of vertebrate hosts. Our previous study revealed that bioprocessed polysaccharides from the liquid culture Lentinus edodes fungal mycelia containing turmeric (BPP-turmeric) is able to alter chicken macrophage responses and increases chick survival against Salmonella enterica infection. In this study, we examined the immunomodulatory effects of BPP-turmeric on the porcine macrophage 3D4/31 cell line infected with Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Choleraesuis (S. Choleraesuis) or S. Enteritidis. Our experimental analyses demonstrated that BPP-turmeric (i) does not alter phagocytic and killing activity of 3D4/31 against either Salmonella serotypes, but that it (ii) represses mRNA transcription of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, and tumor necrosis factor α in response to Salmonella infection. Collectively, these results imply that BPP-turmeric has an immunomodulatory effect that represses pro-inflammatory cytokine expression in porcine macrophages, suggesting that it may protect swine from salmonellosis via controlling Salmonella-induced hyperinflammation.

To enhance the physiological activity of the Rhynchosia volubilis (RV), R. volubilis (RVHE-A) and R. volubilis-added herbal powder (RVHE-B) were fermented with a solid state culture of Hericium erinaceum mycelia (HE). The total isoflavone contents of the non-fermented RV-A (489.9 μg/g) and RV-B (571.1 μg/g) were remarkably increased in fermented RVHE-A (1,836.4 μg/g) and RVHE-B (1,276.7 μg/g). In particular, aglycone isoflavones such as daidzein and genistein were significantly higher in the RVHE-A than any other sample. When hot-water (HW) and EtOH extracts (E) were fractionated from the RV and RVHE, both extracts from the RVHE-A were higher than those from the RV-A in total polyphenol and flavonoid contents. However, the RVHE-B-HW showed a lower polyphenol and flavonoid content level than did RV-B-HW. RVHE-A-HW and -E also had more potent ABTS radical scavenging activity than any extract from the non-fermented RV and other ferments (RVHE-B). In the meanwhile, RVHE-A-HW potently stimulated the production of macrophage activation-related cytokines such as TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-12 (841.7±71.3 pg/mL, 3.9±0.1 ng/mL, 179.3±30.2 pg/mL) from peritoneal macrophage more than RV-A-HW (92.5±1.5 pg/mL, 0.1±0.0 ng/mL, 37.4±5.4 pg/mL) as well as RVHE-B-HW (557.0±21.3 pg/mL, 1.8±0.0 ng/mL, 90.0±10.0 pg/mL). However, all the EtOH extracts did not show significant activity. In addition, the RVHE-A-HW showed a significantly higher intestinal immune system modulating activity through Peyer’s patch and GM-CSF production than did any other extract from RV and RVHE-B. In conclusion, these results suggest that the fermented R. volubilis with H. erinaceum mycelia possesses a possible use as an industrial application as functional food or material.

This study aimed to investigate antioxidant activity of various extracts from fruiting bodies and mycelia of two Phellinus linteus strains and P. baumii. The Phellinus strains have cultivated on oak and mulberry logs. The fruiting bodies species were harvested from each Phellinus strain and used in this study. The tested items include: 2, 2’-azinobis[3-ethylbenzthiazoline]-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS), free radical scavenging assay and determination of total phenolics contents (TPC), ferric reducing antioxidant power assay (FRAP), and DPPH (1, 1-diphenyl-2- picrylhydrazyl) radical-scavenging activities. Different extractions with 60% Ethyl alcohol, 70% methyl alcohol and heat water were done on the mycellial and fruiting bodies samples of the mushroom species. The methyl alcohol extraction from fruiting body of P. linteus KACC93057P displayed the highest antioxidant activity on ABTS, FRAP, and DPPH assays. The ethyl acetate fraction was concentrated and subjected to an ODS column chromatography, followed by Sephadex LH-20 column chromatography. Finally six compounds 1-6 were detected by preparative reversed-phase HPLC.

Cellulose is the most abundant organic polymer constituent of the cell wall of green plants and of various forms of algae. The complexity of lignocellulosic biomass is a major challenge in industrial research. Most mushroom species that naturally grow on soil or wood possess cellulases and the corresponding enzymatic system and, potential candidates for the direct bioconversion of softwood polysaccharides into fermentable sugars. However, there have been fewer studies on mushroom cellulases than on fungi such as Trichoderma spp., exploit the full potential of mushroom cellulases. This review will focus on the current status ofmushroom cellulase research and applications and will provide insight into promising future prospects.

송이버섯 균사체(Tricholoma matsutake)를 이용하여 발효시킨 발효대두와 Bacillus sp. Ja-8 균주 로 발효한 청국장 및 증자대두의 이화학적 특성을 비교 분석하였다. 유리아미노산의 총량은 송이버섯 균사체로 발효한 대두에서 3,379.01mg/100g으로 가장 높았으며, 증자대두에 비해 약 10배, 청국장에 비해서는 약 1.7배 더 높은 함량이었다. 총 isoflavone 함량은 증자대두가 1409.21μg/g, 송이버섯 균 사체로 발효한 대두가 1386.64μg/g, 청국장이 1256.64μg/g이었다. 총 isoflavone 가운데 isoflavone 비당체 구성 비율은 송이버섯 균사체로 발효한 대두에서 60%로 가장 높았으며, 청국장에서 14%, 증자 대두에서 2.4% 순이었다. 송이버섯 균사체 발효 대두의 총 유리 phenolics 함량은 14.2mg/g로 가장 높았고, 다음으로 청국장(13.5mg/g), 증자대두(9.8mg/g) 순이었다. 동결 건조한 대두 추출물을 에탄 올에 녹여 DPPH와 ABTs 라디칼 소거활성 및 FRAP를 측정한 결과, 100mg/mL 농도에서 시료들의 DPPH 라디칼 소거활성은 61.59-77.38%로 동일농도의 비타민 C와 유의차 없는 활성을 나타내었다. ABTs 라디칼 소거활성은 30mg/mL의 낮은 농도에서 송이버섯균사체 발효 대두 추출물의 활성이 63.22%로 가장 높았고, FRAP는 송이버섯균사체 발효물(341.02μmol)과 청국장(369.55μmol)에서 증자 대두(180.50μmol)에 비해 활성이 2배 정도 더 높았다. 결과적으로 송이버섯 균사체를 이용하여 대두 를 발효시킴으로서 isoflavone 비당체와 유리 phenolics 함량의 증가와 함께 항산화활성이 증가된 발 효대두 제조가 가능하였다.