Effect of selenium and zinc biofortification on the biochemical parameters of Pleurotus spp. under submerged and solid-state fermentation.

BACKGROUND: Pleurotus has a remarkable nutritional and nutraceutical profile due to mineral mobilization and accumulation abilities from the substrate. The present study aimed to observe the effect of single and dual supplementations Se and Zn on biochemical parameters of P. florida, P. sajor caju and P. djamor. Also, the bioaccumulation of the trace elements in fortified mushrooms was estimated. METHODS: Biomass production and radial growth rate were observed on Se and Zn supplemented broth and agar based medium. Furthermore, the influence of Se and Zn supplementation was recorded on the fruit body yield. The colorimetric assays were employed to estimate total soluble protein, total phenol and total flavonoid contents. The antioxidant activity was assayed as DPPH radical scavenging test. While, ICP-AES was performed to estimate the variation in the Zn and Se content of the fruit bodies. RESULTS: The Se supplementation at low rate resulted in improvement in the radial growth rate and biomass production for P. sajor caju. For solid-state fermentation, a better yield was obtained with inorganic salt supplementation in comparison to organically enriched Se straw. The maximum total soluble protein content and total flavonoid content were observed in fruit bodies of P. sajor caju at 4 mg L -1 of Se and Se-Zn respectively. Pleurotus djamor exhibited the highest total phenolic content on Zn supplementation (10 mg L-1). Improved antioxidant potential was recorded with dual supplementations. Salt supplementations caused shrinkage, distortion of the fungal hyphae, and decreased basidiospores with significant amelioration in elemental composition in fortified mushrooms. CONCLUSION: The inorganic salt supplementation increased the biochemical potential of Pleurotus spp. in comparison to organically enriched substrate which could further be used for the development of dietary supplements.

Cordycepin as a Metabolite with Pharmacological Potential: A Review.

The pharmacological values of Cordyceps spp. are substantially associated with the existence of an extremely potent biometabolite: cordycepin. This component exhibits powerful therapeutic activity against cancer, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia and acts as a strong immunomodulator. Extensive pharmaceutical exploitation of Cordyceps spp. has depleted its natural existence. Therefore, there is a strong need for metabolic engineering-based approaches that could be employed for overproduction of the desired metabolite, which would sustain market demands. Replacement of the old conventional genome editing tools by the newly developed CRISPR technology is considered a suitable alternative for enhancing metabolite production. Another novel approach, POPCORN, optimizes carbon/nitrogen ratios to design synthetic media for Cordyceps production. In fact, the addition of FeSO4 and porcine liver extract and alterations in the dissolved oxygen enhanced cordycepin production in the submerged state. Ultraviolet mutagenesis is another approach for the augmentation of this pharmaceutically potent biometabolite. Therefore, the main objective of this review is to present the outlook on pharmaceutical properties of cordycepin along with the metabolic approaches for enhancing cordycepin production.