The antioxidant activities of three Portuguese wild edible mushroom species, Leucopaxillus giganteus, Sarcodon imbricatus, andAgaricus
arvensis, were evaluated. Methanolic extracts were screened for their reducing power, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicalscavenging
capacity, inhibition of erythrocytes hemolysis and antioxidant activity using the b-carotene linoleate model system. The
amounts of ascorbic acid, b-carotene and lycopene found in the mushroom extracts were very low. Otherwise, the high contents of phenolic
compounds might account for the good antioxidant properties found in all species. L. giganteus had the highest content of phenols
and proved to be the most active, presenting lower EC50 values in all the antioxidant activity assays.
