Determining the Amount of Potentially Bioavailable Phenolic Compounds and Bioelements in Edible Mushroom Mycelia of Agaricus bisporus, Cantharellus cibarius, and Lentinula edodes

Summary

This research explored how to enhance the nutritional value of cultivated mushroom mycelium by enriching it with beneficial compounds like zinc, selenium, and substances that promote the production of healthy phenolic acids. The study showed that mushroom mycelium can effectively absorb and make these nutrients available for human consumption. Impacts on everyday life: • Provides a way to create more nutritious food supplements from mushrooms • Offers a potential solution for addressing mineral deficiencies in diets • Demonstrates how mushrooms can be enhanced to provide better health benefits • Shows promise for developing new functional foods • Could lead to more efficient production of nutrient-rich food ingredients

Background

Biotechnological cultivation of edible mushrooms and their application in food and medicinal industry is a rapidly growing field of research. Mycelial cultures are valuable sources of important bioactive compounds with potential health benefits. The study focused on optimizing growing media to generate mycelium with enhanced health-promoting properties through biofortification.

Objective

The study aimed to obtain mycelial cultures of A. bisporus, C. cibarius, and L. edodes on control media and media enriched with zinc hydroaspartate, selenite triglycerides, and l-phenylalanine, both individually and as a mixture. The research sought to analyze the content of bioelements and phenolic compounds in the mushroom material and verify if l-phenylalanine addition would increase phenolic acid synthesis. Additionally, the study assessed the bioavailability of these compounds using an in vitro gastrointestinal model.

Results

L. edodes mycelium showed the best health-promoting properties, with significant increases in p-hydroxybenzoic and protocatechuic acid synthesis (267 and 16.3 mg/100 g d.w.) when media was enriched with the mixture. After artificial digestion, 97.4 mg/100 g d.w. p-hydroxybenzoic acid and 15.6 mg/100 g d.w. protocatechuic acid were released. A. bisporus mycelium showed the highest extraction of Se and Zn (32.3 and 342 mg/100 g d.w., respectively) when enriched.

Conclusion

The study confirmed that adding l-phenylalanine and bioelements (Se, Zn) enhanced their final content and bioaccessibility in mushroom mycelia. The research demonstrated that mycelium obtained through biotechnological conditions could potentially serve as a supplementary material to address bioelement deficiencies and provide phenolic compounds, as even a few grams of biomass could cover daily nutritional needs based on in vitro digestion studies.
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