Chemical and bioactivity profiling in wild edible mushrooms
Conference Paper
Overview
Overview
abstract
FCT (Portugal) and COMPETE/QREN/EU: research project PTDC/AGR-ALI/110062/2009 and CIMO
strategic project PEst-OE/AGR/UI0690/2011.
Wild mushrooms contain a huge diversity of biomolecules with nutritional [1] and/or medicinal properties
[2]. They have been recognized as functional foods and as a source for the development of medicines and
nutraceuticals. Fruiting bodies, mycelia and spores accumulate a variety of bioactive metabolites with
immunomodulatory, cardiovascular, liver protective, anti-fibrotic, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, antiviral,
antioxidant, antimicrobial, and antitumor properties [2].
In a nutritional point of view, mushrooms are rich in water, minerals, proteins, fibers and carbohydrates,
and that they are low caloric foods due to low content in fat. There are several studies reporting nutrient
analysis of different mushroom species from all over the world [1]. Our research group has been dedicated
to mushrooms from Northeast Portugal, one of the European regions with higher biodiversity in wild
mushrooms, most of them with great gastronomic importance [3,4]. Moreover, many studies have
concluded that mushrooms possess potent antioxidants such as phenolic compounds, tocopherols, ascorbic
acid and carotenoids as it was described by our research group [5]. Furthermore, mushrooms are
considered an important source of molecules with antitumor properties, including low (e.g. quinones,
cerebrosides, isoflavones, catechols, amines, triacylglycerols, sesquiterpenes and steroids) and high (e.g.
polysaccharides, glycoproteins, proteoglycans and proteins) molecular weight compounds [6].
