Since ancient times, mushrooms have been used as a source of traditional medicine because they contain biologically active compounds that are directly or indirectly very beneficial to human health. In general, mushrooms are high in protein and carbohydrates and low in fat. In addition, mushrooms contain minerals and other secondary metabolites such as phenolics, terpenoids, steroids, ascorbic acid, beta-carotene, and lycopene. Bioactive metabolites such as terpenoids have attracted scientific interest as potential therapeutics with anticancer, antibacterial, anti neurodegenerative, antioxidant, and antiviral properties. However, bioactive compounds vary greatly from species to species and even within the same mushroom, depending on the concentration of bioactive compounds, stage of development, condition of the substrates, age of the mushroom itself, and storage conditions.
Fig. 1. A variety of extraction methods of polysaccharide from edible mushroom. (Gong P, et al., 2020)
Services
There are several factors that we need to consider when extracting the bioactive substances from mushrooms: flavor, consistency, and yield. Undoubtedly, the core method for all our mushroom extracts is alcohol extraction. We also develop more advanced solvent-free processes to extract while maintaining excellent flavor and consistency gently. In addition, we use different solvents for different mushroom components to achieve optimal extraction. For example, β-glucan is extracted with hot water, and triterpenes are extracted with alcoholic solvents.
Lifeasible offers a variety of methods to extract bioactive constituents from mushrooms. We can help you obtain the following chemical components.
- Polysaccharides
- Glucans
- Polysaccharide-Protein Complexes
- Terpenes
- Phenolic Compounds
- Peptides and Proteins
- Other chemical components, such as mushroom glycerides, diindolyl phosphatidylethanolamine, termitomycesphins, etc.
In addition, we offer High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) to measure the medicinal compounds in mushroom extracts to ensure their presence in the final product.
Extraction Methods for Bioactive Components in Mushrooms
- Warm water
This is one of the most widely used techniques for mushroom extraction. If you do not care about the remaining water in the extract, the simplest mushroom extract can be obtained.
- Ethanol
When both water and alcohol are used in the extraction process, a double or dual extract is used.
- Carbon Dioxide
We offer the CO2 method to extract dried powdered mushrooms; this method does not give access to many of the active terpenoids present in fresh mushrooms.
- Aerosol
The aerosol extraction method allows the gentle extraction of oleoresins from mushrooms. This method captures volatiles that is not lost with the solvent, reduces the risk of extracting color and other unwanted compoundand using low temperatures to protect fragile, unstable material components.
Mushrooms can provide many nutritional and health values to our lives. The right combination of protein, triglycerides, fiber, and terpenes can place mushrooms high on the food chain. We use state-of-the-art technology to reuse all the mushroom components. Please do not hesitate to contact us. We look forward to a wonderful collaboration with you!
Reference
- Gong P, et al. (2020) Extraction methods, chemical characterizations and biological activities of mushroom polysaccharides: A mini-review[J]. Carbohydrate Research. 494: 108037.
For research use only, not for clinical use.
