ABSTRACT
For millennia, wild edible mushrooms (WEM) had always been considered as substantial food and medicinal sources, for local communities, both Bantu and indigenous peoples. However, few information and sparse data are available on useful mushrooms of Cameroon. A study was undertaken to update the checklist of WEM in humid forests of Cameroon. From mushroom excursions, surveys and inventories, thousand fungal specimens were collected in situ, described and identified using key features and references. Wild edible mushrooms were recruited in three trophic groups. They denoted a dissimilar national biogeographical distribution. Saprophytes and Termitomyces were encountered throughout the country; ectomycorrhizal mushrooms occurred in forest clumps, only in three regions: South, Southeast and Southwest. 117 WEM were listed belonging to 17 families and 43 genera, including nearly 22 Termitomyces, 32 ectomycorrhizal and 63 saprophyte species. 15 WEM were also claimed to have medicinal properties. This vast mushroom diversity related to various specific habitats and ecological niches. Five fungal groups were considered as excellent edible. Amanita and Boletus species were seldom consumed. Most mushroom species were harvested solely for home consumption, with the exception of Termitomyces, the only marketed mushroom. In fine, the diversity of WEM was high but poorly known and valorized. To fulfill the Nagoya convention, it is recommended to pursue mycological inventory of macrofungi in Cameroon, including the use of molecular tools and to cultivate local wild edible saprophyte mushrooms.
ABSTRACT
A comprehensive analytical method based on UFLC-QTRAP-MS-MS was developed for the simultaneous determination of 15 kinds of amino acids and 12 kinds of nucleosides of three species in Termitomyces. The separation was carried out on a Waters XBridge Amide column (2.1 mm×100 mm,3.5 μm) with gradient elution of mobile phase of 0.2% formic acid in water-0.2% formic acid in acetonitrile at a flow rate of 0.6 mL•min⁻¹, and column temperature was maintained at 30 ℃. The target compounds were analyzed by the positive ion multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. The principal component analysis(PCA) was made to standardized treatment for the comprehensive evaluation of different species in Termitomyces. The 15 kinds of amino acids and 12 kinds of nucleosides multiple constituents showed good linearity (r>0.997 3) in the range of the tested concentration.The average recoveries ranged from 95.14% to 105.0%,and the relative standard deviations were less than 5.0%. The comprehensive evaluation index obtained with PCA showed that the Termitomyces albuminosus was significantly higher than others in amino acids and in nucleosides, of which the T. aurantiacus was the best. The developed method with good repeatability and accuracy was suitable for the simultaneous determination of multiple functional substances,which provided a new basis for the comprehensive assessment and overall control of the quality of Termitomyces fungi.
ABSTRACT
Wheat flour was used to substitute mushroom flour at the ratio of 70:30 as category A, 50:50 as category B, 30:70 as category C, and each categories were substituted with spice (Murraya koenigii) at concentration ratio of 5g, 10g, and 15g respectively. The cookies prepared without wheat flour and also without mushroom flour serve as positive control. The spread ratio was determined with meter rule: Total Staphylococcus, Bacillus, Coliform and Fungi count were determined using standard microbiological procedure and the effect of the spice (Murraya koenigii) concentration was noted. Consumer preference or otherwise was also determine using a taste parnel list. The mean quality scores of microbial count, Staphylococcal count and Fungi count reduces significantly at p<0.05 as the spice concentration increases but the Bacillus proves resistant to the effect of the spice. The mean quality sensory scores of the cookies range from: colour (3.55 – 3.45), flavour (4.9 – 3.5), taste (4.9 – 3.0) and overall acceptability (5.0 – 3.0) for 70:30. Colour (4.9 – 3.0), flavour (4.0 – 3.5), taste (4.9 – 3.0) and overall acceptability (4.9 – 3.0) for 50:50. Colour (3.5 – 2.0), taste (2.5 – 2.0) and overall acceptability (3.0 – 2.0) for 30:70 respectively. The result shows a significant difference at probability level P<0.05 as the spice concentration increases for category A and B but C display no significant difference. the production of cookies from wheat flour fortified with (Murraya koenigii) be encouraged to achieve and harvested the preservatives, potential of the spice (Murraya koenigii) and the other medical properties that has been recorded from literature review.
ABSTRACT
An amylase was purified from the culture filtrate of Termitomyces clypeatus by ammonium sulphate precipitation, DEAE-Sephadex chromatography and gel filtration on Bio-Gel P-200 column. The electrophoretically homogeneous preparation also exhibited hydrolytic activity (in a decreasing order) on amylose, xylan, amylopectin, glycogen, arabinogalactan and arabinoxylan. The enzyme had characteristically endo-hydrolytic activity on all the substrates tested and no xylose, glucose, arabinose or glucuronic acid could be detected even after prolonged enzymatic digestion of the polysaccharides. Interestingly the enzyme had similar pH optima (5·5), temperature optima (55°C), pH stability (pH 3-10) and thermal denaturation kinetics when acted on both starch and xylan (larch wood). Km values were found to be 2·63 mg/ml for amylase and 6·25 mg/ml for xylanase activity. Hill's plot also indicated that the enzyme contained a single active site for both activities. Hg2+ was found to be most potent inhibitor. Ca2+ , a common activator for amylase activity, appeared to be an inhibitor for this enzyme. Thus it appeared that the enzyme had multisubstrate specificity acting as α-amylase on starch and also acting as xylanase on side chain oligosaccharides of xylan containing α-linked sugars.