STUDIES ON PHYTOCHEMICAL COMPOUNDS AND ANTIOXIDANT POTENTIAL OF AURICULARIA AURICULA-JUDAE

Auricularia auricula-judae is a precious colloid fungus, widely used as a food supplement and medicine in Southeast Asian countries. The hot water extract of Auricularia auricula-judae was investigated for antioxidant efficacy and also determined the amount of phytochemical components such as total phenols and flavonoids. Antioxidant activity was analysed by different in vitro assays namely, DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl) radical and OH (hydroxyl) radical scavenging assay, FRAP (ferric reducing antioxidant power) assay, metal chelation and β-carotene bleaching assays. Total antioxidant capacity was determined using phosphomolybdenum assay. A. auricula-judae exhibited strong antioxidant activity in all the assays. A significant difference (p<0.05) was observed between the concentrations tested and between the EC₅₀ value of A. auricula-judae and standard antioxidants. Considerable amount of secondary metabolites like phenols and flavonoids were found in A. auricula-judae. The extract was shown to be very good scavengers of DPPH, OH radicals, reducer of ferric ions, and an excellent metal chelator. The antioxidant activity of A. auricula-judae was found to be dose-dependent. Therefore, it can be suggested that A. auricula-judae edible mushroom could serve as an effective functional food and more potent therapeutic agent.