ABSTRACT
The extraction parameters for Pleurotus eryngii SI-02 exopolysaccharide (EPS) produced during submerged culture were optimized using response surface methodology (RSM). The optimum conditions for EPS extraction were predicted to be, precipitation time 20.24 h, ethanol concentration 89.62% and pH 8.17, and EPS production was estimated at 7.27 g/L. The actual yield of EPS under these conditions was 7.21 g/L. The in vitro antioxidant results of the EPS showed that the inhibition effects of EPS at a dosage of 400 mg/L on hydroxyl, superoxide anion and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicals were 59.63 ± 3.72%, 38.69 ± 2.59%, and 66.36 ± 4.42%, respectively, which were 12.74 ± 1.03%, 8.01 ± 0.56%, and 12.19 ± 1.05% higher than that of butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), respectively. The reducing power of EPS of P. eryngii SI-02 was 0.98 ± 0.05, 60.66 ± 5.14% higher than that of BHT. The results provide a reference for large-scale production of EPS by P. eryngii SI-02 in industrial fermentation and the EPS can be used as a potential antioxidant which enhances adaptive immune responses.