Mycochemical Screening and Antioxidant Properties of Some Potential Medicinal Mushrooms in the Central Region of Ghana

Abstract

The methanol extract of eight matured mushroom samples, Tyromyce chioneus, Polyporous alveolaris, Trametes hirsute, Trametes versicolor, Trametes gibbosa, Chlorophyllum molybdite, Auricularia auricular judae, and Ganoderma spp., were mycochemically screened using standard methods for the presence of secondary metabolites. Their total phenolic contents (TPC) using Folin-Ciocalteu method with gallic acid standard and total flavonoid contents (TFC) by aluminium chloride method using quercetin standard were determined. The total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and free radical scavenging activities were also evaluated using phosphomolybdenum method with ascorbic acid as standard and DPPH method with gallic acid standard respectively. The mycochemical screening results revealed the presence of alkaloids, polyphenols, terpenes saponins, and reducing sugars in all the extracts of the samples. Steroids were found to be absent in Chlorophyllum molybdite, Auricularia auricular judae. Phlobatannins was found to be present in only Polyporous alveolaris and Trametes hirsute. The TPC was highest in the extract of Trametes gibbosa (8.99 mgGAE/g) followed by that of Ganoderma spp (7.44 mg GAE/g). The extract of Ganoderma spp had the highest TFC (5052.00 μg QE/g), followed by Trametes gibbosa (4318.66 μg QE/g). Trametes hirsute (29.91 mg AAE/g), Polyporous alveolaris (28.89 mg AAE/g) and Ganoderma spp (28.17 mg AAE/g) showed appreciable amount of TAC. Extracts of Polyporous alveolaris (80.66 g/mL) and Ganoderma spp (94.37 μg/mL) displayed strong scavenging activity against DPPH as compared with the gallic acid standard (84.01 μg/mL). This study revealed that, most of the investigated mushrooms could be utilized in diet to promote health, taking advantage of the additive and synergistic effects of all the bioactive compounds present.