MYCOLab Ai Logo - gold and army green

Bioactivity Assessment of Exopolysaccharides Produced by Pleurotus pulmonarius in Submerged Culture with Different Agro-Waste Residues

Summary

This research demonstrates how mushroom fungi can be used to convert agricultural waste materials into valuable compounds with health benefits. The study shows that the fungus Pleurotus pulmonarius can grow on various agricultural wastes to produce beneficial molecules called exopolysaccharides. Impacts on everyday life: • Provides an environmentally friendly way to recycle agricultural waste • Produces natural compounds that can be used as food preservatives • Creates prebiotics that support beneficial gut bacteria • Generates antioxidants that could be used in health supplements • Demonstrates sustainable production of antimicrobial compounds

Background

Agro-wastes are often disposed indiscriminately and constitute environmental nuisance. These wastes contain valuable chemical constituents that can be used to produce useful products. Fungal mycelia can utilize complex organic compounds in agro-residues through fermentation to produce biomolecules with nutritional and medicinal properties.

Objective

To produce exopolysaccharides (EPS) using Pleurotus pulmonarius in submerged fermentation with different agro-wastes and evaluate their antimicrobial, antioxidant and prebiotic activities.

Results

The highest EPS yield (5.60 g/L) was obtained with groundnut shell supplementation. The EPS contained functional groups including hydroxyl, methyl, ketone and carbonyl groups. It showed antimicrobial activity with zones of inhibition ranging from 5.00-14.00 mm against tested microorganisms. Scavenging activity against DPPH ranged from 65.70-81.80%. The EPS supported probiotic growth with bacterial counts of 3.04-3.40 × 104 cfu/ml for L. delbrueckii and 2.50-2.81 × 104 cfu/ml for S. thermophiles.

Conclusion

Submerged culture of P. pulmonarius with agro-wastes enhanced EPS yield. The EPS exhibited beneficial bio-functional properties including antimicrobial, antioxidant and prebiotic activities. Agro-wastes can be effectively recycled through fungal fermentation to produce promising biomaterials for biopharmaceutical applications.
  • Published in:Heliyon,
  • Study Type:Laboratory Research,
  • Source: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e05685
Scroll to Top