Antioxidant Capacity and the Correlation with Major Phenolic Compounds, Anthocyanin, and Tocopherol Content in Various Extracts from the Wild Edible Boletus edulis Mushroom

Author: mycolabadmin
2012-12-30
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Summary

This research examined the antioxidant properties of extracts from the wild edible mushroom Boletus edulis (porcini). The study found that these mushrooms contain powerful natural antioxidants that could help protect cells from damage caused by harmful free radicals. The research is significant for everyday life in several ways: • The mushroom could be incorporated into regular diets as a natural way to boost antioxidant intake • It shows potential as a natural dietary supplement for protecting against oxidative stress • The findings support traditional uses of this mushroom in folk medicine • It provides scientific evidence for using this common edible mushroom as a functional food • The results suggest new ways to develop natural food preservatives from mushroom extracts

Background

Mushrooms gathered from wild flora have been included in human diets for centuries due to their specific taste and medicinal properties. Recent research has demonstrated important medicinal properties of wild edible mushrooms through in vitro assays, confirming traditional medicinal knowledge. These mushrooms show strong antioxidant effects comparable to classic antioxidants like vitamins C and E, with tumor-inhibiting and protective effects against oxidative processes.

Objective

The main purpose was to determine the antioxidant capacity of ethanolic, methanolic, cold water and hot water extracts from Boletus edulis fruit bodies. The research aimed to determine reducing power, DPPH radical scavenging activity, ABTS radical scavenging activity, inhibition of hydroxyl radicals, nitric oxide, metal chelating effect, lipid peroxidation, and quantify components with antioxidant effects.

Results

The ethanolic and methanolic extracts showed higher antioxidant capacity than water extracts across most assays. Maximum DPPH scavenging was 72.2% for ethanolic extract at 1 mg/mL. ABTS scavenging reached 83.75% for ethanolic extract. Rosmarinic acid was identified as the major phenolic compound (7-56 mg/100g extract). The extracts contained significant amounts of flavonoids (61-116 mg/g), anthocyanins (6-16 mg/100g), ascorbic acid (1.3-5.07 mg/g), and tocopherols. Strong correlations were found between phenolic content and antioxidant activities.

Conclusion

The study demonstrated that B. edulis extracts, particularly ethanolic extracts, have significant antioxidant activity and contain important bioactive compounds like rosmarinic acid, which was identified for the first time in this mushroom species. The results suggest that B. edulis mushrooms from Romanian forests could serve as nutraceutical foods in human diet to reduce oxidative damage. The ethanolic extracts specifically show potential as new dietary supplements.

Published in:BioMed Research International,
Study Type:Laboratory Research,
Source: 10.1155/2013/313905