There are an increasing number of nutraceutical and mycotherapeutic products in which mushrooms are included as active ingredients due to their content of multiple bioactive compounds responsible for innumerable medicinal and health-promoting properties. Medicinal mushrooms can be used as either whole carpophore powder or extract, or as a combination of both. Nowadays, both research and production processes must adhere to the principles of Green Chemistry, whose keystones include optimizing energy and resource consumption, as well as minimizing the use and/or generation of hazardous substances and wastes. Therefore, especially with a view to a standardized, high-quality industrial production, it is essential to adopt efficient extraction techniques both in terms of yield and quality of the obtained product, and in terms of cost and environmental sustainability. One of the currently most innovative and promising techniques for obtaining metabolites from plant matrices is the microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) (1), but to date only a few studies report its application to mushrooms (2, 3, 4, 5). We therefore carried out an investigation comparing MAE with other techniques, innovative or traditional, in terms of both efficiency and effect on antibacterial and antidiabetic activity of medicinal mushrooms extracts. This study provides evidences that MAE is consistently advantageous compared to other methods in that it allows a higher extraction yield and/or a significant reduction in the required time and solvent volumes, as well as in some cases an enhancement of the bioactivity of the extract. These results are promising both for more in-depth research into the activities of medicinal mushrooms and their bioactive metabolites, and for a potential future industrial application of MAE to obtain high-quality nutraceutical and mycotherapeutic formulations with a view to improved sustainability and cost reduction.
Microwave-assisted extraction and medicinal mushrooms: an innovative and promising technique with significant applicative implications
Ferraro, V
Membro del Collaboration Group
;Gargano, MLMembro del Collaboration Group
;Rotondo, NPMembro del Collaboration Group
;De Palma, AMembro del Collaboration Group
;Lentini, GMembro del Collaboration Group
;Cavalluzzi, MMMembro del Collaboration Group
2023-01-01
Abstract
There are an increasing number of nutraceutical and mycotherapeutic products in which mushrooms are included as active ingredients due to their content of multiple bioactive compounds responsible for innumerable medicinal and health-promoting properties. Medicinal mushrooms can be used as either whole carpophore powder or extract, or as a combination of both. Nowadays, both research and production processes must adhere to the principles of Green Chemistry, whose keystones include optimizing energy and resource consumption, as well as minimizing the use and/or generation of hazardous substances and wastes. Therefore, especially with a view to a standardized, high-quality industrial production, it is essential to adopt efficient extraction techniques both in terms of yield and quality of the obtained product, and in terms of cost and environmental sustainability. One of the currently most innovative and promising techniques for obtaining metabolites from plant matrices is the microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) (1), but to date only a few studies report its application to mushrooms (2, 3, 4, 5). We therefore carried out an investigation comparing MAE with other techniques, innovative or traditional, in terms of both efficiency and effect on antibacterial and antidiabetic activity of medicinal mushrooms extracts. This study provides evidences that MAE is consistently advantageous compared to other methods in that it allows a higher extraction yield and/or a significant reduction in the required time and solvent volumes, as well as in some cases an enhancement of the bioactivity of the extract. These results are promising both for more in-depth research into the activities of medicinal mushrooms and their bioactive metabolites, and for a potential future industrial application of MAE to obtain high-quality nutraceutical and mycotherapeutic formulations with a view to improved sustainability and cost reduction.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
