Lithium bioaccumulation in Lentinus crinitus mycelia grown in media with different lithium sources and pH values.

Lentinus crinitus bioaccumulates lithium in mycelia, but bioaccumulation may be affected by pH of the culture medium. Lithium is used in clinical practice as a mood stabilizer and antidepressant. This study aimed to assess the effect of culture medium pH and lithium source (LiCl or Li2CO3) on lithium bioaccumulation in vegetative mycelia of L. crinitus grown in malt extract broth. Lentinus crinitus U9-1 was cultured in malt extract broth supplemented with Li2CO3 or LiCl (50 mg L-1 lithium) in the pH range of 3.0 to 6.0. The pH was adjusted using HCl solution. The results showed that medium pH affected mycelial biomass production, lithium bioaccumulation in mycelial biomass, and lithium transfer from the culture medium to mycelial biomass. The effect of lithium source on the bioaccumulation capacity of mycelial biomass varied according to pH. At pH 4.0, both lithium sources stimulated mycelial biomass production compared to the control without the addition of lithium. At pH 5.5, Li2CO3 provided the highest lithium bioaccumulation in mycelial biomass. Lithium transfer from the culture medium to mycelia was highest in Li2CO3-supplemented cultures at pH 4.5. LiCl reduced hyphal width compared with Li2CO3 and the control. However, pH and lithium sources did not affect the formation of clamp connections in hyphae. For the first time, the influence of the pH of the culture medium on lithium bioaccumulation by Lentinus crinitus is reported. Finally, we conclude that the culture medium pH affected lithium transfer and bioaccumulation in mycelial biomass differently depending on the lithium source. Additionally, we report the presence of clamp connections in the hyphae of L. crinitus as an indicator of even growth.

Basidiocarp structures of Lentinus crinitus: an antimicrobial source against foodborne pathogens and food spoilage microorganisms.

Lentinus crinitus basidiocarps are an alternative to antimicrobials, but the stipe (24% basidiocarp) is discarded even with potential antimicrobial activity. This study evaluated the antimicrobial activity of L. crinitus basidiocarp pileus and stipe extracts against foodborne pathogens and food spoilage microorganisms. Basidiocarps of L. crinitus were grown in sugarcane bagasse and rice husks and the pileus and stipe methanolic extract was analyzed by broth microdilution method for antimicrobial activity against eight bacteria and eight fungi. The minimum bactericidal concentration values for pileus and stipe ranged from 0.40 to 0.50 mg mL- 1, for streptomycin from 0.10 to 0.50 mg mL- 1, and for ampicillin from 0.40 to 1.20 mg mL- 1. The minimum fungicidal concentration values for pileus and stipe ranged from 0.06 to 0.60 mg mL- 1, for bifonazole from 0.20 to 0.25 mg mL- 1, and for ketoconazole from 0.30 to 3.50 mg mL- 1. Extracts had bacteriostatic, bactericidal, fungistatic and fungicidal activity against all microorganisms, but with greater efficiency and specificity for some microorganisms. Both pileus and stipe are promising and sustainable alternatives for use in food, agricultural, and pharmaceutical industries.

Grape peel (Syrah var.) jam as a polyphenol-enriched functional food ingredient.

In this study, we evaluated the effects of the storage time on the physicochemical properties, bioactive compound content, and antioxidant capacity of jam prepared from grape peel extract to explore its potential as a supplementary food and/or functional ingredient. The ethanolic extract from Syrah var. grape peel exhibited high bioactive compound concentrations and antioxidant activity. The jam stability (prepared with 8.9% of extract) at 14°C was evaluated at 0, 15, 30, 45, and 60 days. The jam was found to contain high concentrations of polyphenolic compounds (137.0 ± 3.2 mg of gallic acid equivalent/100 g), total flavonoids (128.5 ± 23.0 mg of equivalent/100 g), and total anthocyanins (92.5 ± 4.0 mg of cyanidin equivalent/100 g). However, a large reduction in the flavonoid (70%-90%), anthocyanin (29%-35%), and phenolic (23%-30%) content was observed during storage. The free radical-scavenging activity (DPPH-), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), and ß-carotene-linoleic acid assays revealed the great antioxidant potential of the jam prepared from grape peel extract, which exhibited significant levels of radical-neutralizing activity, especially as determined by the DPPH method with EC50 values ranging from 2.3 ± 0.1 to 3.9 ± 0.1 µg/ml. High R 2 values (p > 0.90) were obtained for the correlation between the DPPH results and the concentrations of the compounds of interest. In summary, the high bioactive compound contents and antioxidant capacity of the jam produced from grape peel suggest that it may provide health benefits as a source of natural antioxidants upon incorporation to several food industry products.

New molecular features of cowpea bean (Vigna unguiculata, l. Walp) ß-vignin.

Cowpea seed ß-vignin, a vicilin-like globulin, proved to exert various health favourable effects, including blood cholesterol reduction in animal models. The need of a simple scalable enrichment procedure for further studies for tailored applications of this seed protein is crucial. A chromatography-independent fractionation method allowing to obtain a protein preparation with a high degree of homogeneity was used. Further purification was pursued to deep the molecular characterisation of ß-vignin. The results showed: (i) differing glycosylation patterns of the two constituent polypeptides, in agreement with amino acid sequence features; (ii) the seed accumulation of a gene product never identified before; (iii) metal binding capacity of native protein, a property observed only in few other legume seed vicilins.