Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Properties of Mushroom-Based Food Additives and Food Fortified with Them—Current Status and Future Perspectives

Author: mycolabadmin
4/26/2025
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Summary

Mushrooms are nutrient-rich foods containing compounds that protect our bodies from damage and reduce inflammation. When mushrooms are processed into powders, extracts, or specially designed capsules, they can be added to ordinary foods like bread, pasta, and yogurt to make them healthier. This review shows that these mushroom-enriched foods successfully boost the antioxidant power of products, though the best results depend on how the mushrooms are prepared and which type of food they’re added to.

Background

Mushrooms are recognized for their nutritional value and health-promoting properties, containing diverse bioactive compounds including polysaccharides, terpenoids, vitamins, and minerals. Due to aging populations and prevalence of lifestyle-associated diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, functional foods enriched with mushroom-based additives are gaining importance. Processing and preservation methods significantly impact the bioactive composition and antioxidant properties of mushroom-derived products.

Objective

This review aims to systematically compile and analyze existing data on mushroom-based food additives and products fortified with them, with emphasis on their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. The review identifies knowledge gaps and proposes future directions for development and application of these functional food products, with special attention to microencapsulated additives.

Results

The review demonstrates that processing methods significantly affect bioactive compound composition and antioxidant activity, with boiling generally causing the most degradation. Fortification of various food products (pasta, bread, yogurt, sausages) with mushroom powders, extracts, and microencapsulated additives consistently enhanced antioxidant properties measured by DPPH, FRAP, and ABTS assays. Microencapsulation proved effective in protecting bioactive compounds during storage and improving controlled release, particularly when using maltodextrin or mushroom-derived encapsulating materials.

Conclusion

Mushroom-based food additives demonstrate significant potential for enhancing antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of functional foods. However, industrial implementation remains limited due to inconsistent sensory outcomes, batch reproducibility challenges, and lack of regulatory standards. Future research should focus on bioavailability studies, long-term consumption effects, standardization of preparations, and development of improved microencapsulation technologies.

Published in:Antioxidants (Basel),
Study Type:Review,
Source: PMID: 40427401, PMC12108364, DOI: 10.3390/antiox14050519