MYCOCHEMICAL PROFILING OF LENTINUS SQUARROSULUS MONT., A WILD EDIBLE MACROFUNGI USING GC-MS

Studies to exploit wild mushrooms as a source of biologically active compounds are gaining importance in the recent years. In that view, the present study was carried out to evaluate the bioactives of wild edible macrofungi, Lentinus squarrosulus Mont. The specimen was subjected to various biochemical tests with the view to establish standards for their identity and chemical composition. To identify the chemical constituents the dried sporocarp was subjected to successive solvent extraction like petroleum ether, chloroform and ethanol using a Soxhlet extractor. The qualitative mycochemical analysis have shown the presence of some important chemical constituents viz., alkaloids, terpenoids, flavonoids, cardiac glycosides, steroids, phenols, fats and oils in all the extractives. Further, GC-MS analysis of ethanolic extracts was carried to identify the important volatile constituents. This data may provide baseline information about the bioactive constituents of these species in providing valuable compounds of substantial medicinal importance. The study also envisaged the proper identity of the target specimen by molecular identification. The present study illustrates the value of molecular tools, especially when coupled with traditional taxonomic tools in disclosing the hidden macrofungal diversity.