ANTIOXIDANT AND PHYTOCHEMICAL POTENTIAL OF WILD EDIBLE MUSHROOM TERMITOMYCES RETICULATUS: INDIVIDUAL CAP AND STIPE COLLECTED FROM SOUTH EASTERN PART OF INDIA

Antioxidant and phytochemical properties of an ethanolic extracts from the wild edible mushroom Termitomyces reticulatus and their individual parts (Cap and Stipe) were evaluated. Reducing power, β-carotene bleaching, ABTS and DPPH radicals scavenging activity were used to evaluate their antioxidant activity. Antioxidant components like total phenol, flavonoid, β-carotene and lycopene were also determined and the amount of phenol was correlated with the antioxidant property. All the extracts showed potent antioxidant activities, in which the entire mushroom extract showed more antioxidant property when compared with the other two extracts (Cap and Stipe) and they were in the order, entire mushroom>stipe>cap. Total phenol exhibited a negative correlation with the EC₅₀ values of antioxidant assays in all the extracts. The phytochemical profile of the ethanolic extracts, analysed were found to contain alkaloids, saponins, phenols, anthraquinones, steroids, carbohydrates, proteins and cardiac glycosides. The tannins and toxic content cynogenic glycosides were absent. In conclusion, our results supported the consumption of wild edible mushroom that act as a good dietary supplement, taken as whole or entire mushroom.