Advances in Mushroom Research in the Last Decade

U posljednjem desetljeću došlo je do značajnog napretka u znanstvenom i biotehnološkom istraživanju gljiva. Optimiranje odjeljivanja kromosoma gljiva metodom PFGE omogućilo je istraživanje njihova molekularnog kariotipa i dodjeljivanje gena pojedinom kromosomu. Postoji 115 gena kodiranih iz različitih vrsta gljiva. Križanje je i dalje glavna metoda, ali se sve češće primjenjuju i RAPD analize ili RFLP metode. Koriste se genetski markeri koji se introgresijom uvode u komercijalne velike hibride. Određena su i u praksi primijenjena kompleksna svojstva kao što su prinos, otpornost na bolesti i kakvoća, te osobine više od jednog lokusa kvantitativnog svojstva (QTL). Pomoću bakterije Agrobacterium ili bombardiranjem čestica dobiveni su transformanti ili transgeni mutageni. Istražena je najmanje 651 vrsta, predstavnika 182 roda gljiva iz razreda Heterobasidiomycetes ili Homobasidiomycetes, koje sadrže polisaharide s antitumorskim ili imunostimulirajućim djelovanjem. Kao jedan od najaktivnijih sastojaka identificiran je ergosterol iz frakcije lipida. Također se kao antimikrobni ili antivirusni agensi intenzivno istražuju novi seskviterpenoidni hidrokinoni, steroidi, oksalna kiselina, triterpeni, lignini topljivi u vodi, sulfatirani polisaharidi te polisaharidi vezani s proteinima. Mnogi spojevi male molekularne mase, poput iludina, leaianfulvena, triterpena (ganoderične kiseline), acetoksiscirpendiola, ergosterol peroksida i sterola, pokazuju citotoksično djelovanje. U gljivama su pronađeni mnogi drugi spojevi koji imaju antioksidativno, hipoglikemičko, protuupalno, hepatoprotektivno ili psihoaktivno djelovanje.There has been a lot of progress in mushroom science and biotechnology in the last decade. The optimization of PFGE separation of fungal chromosomes allowed the study of the molecular karyotype of mushrooms and the assignment of genes to chromosomes. There are 115 genes encoded from different species of mushrooms. Cross breeding continues to be the principal method, but it is accompanied by the analyses of RAPD or RFLPs methods. The genetic makers are used and introduced into commercial large hybrids via introgression breeding. The complex traits such as yield, resistance to disease and quality characteristics, and quantitative traits more than one quantitative trait locus (QTL) are found and used in practice. The transformants or transgenic mutant strains were obtained by Agrobacterium system or particle bombardment. At least 651 species representing 182 genera of hetero- and homobasidiomycetes mushrooms were researched containing antitumor or immunostimulating polysaccharides. Ergosterol in the lipid fraction was identified as one of the most active constituents. New sesquiterpenoid hydroquinones, steroids, oxalic acid, triterpenes, water-soluble lignins, sulfated polysaccharides, protein-bound polysaccharides are researched intensively as antimicrobial or antiviral agents. Many small molecular mass compounds exhibit cytotoxic activities, such as illudins, leaianafulvene, triterpenes (ganoderic acids), acetoxyscirpenediol, ergosterol peroxide, sterols. There are many other compounds or activities found in the mushrooms, such as antioxidative, hypoglycemic action, anti-inflammatory effect, hepatoprotective compounds, psychoactive compounds and activities

Production of Powerful Antioxidant Supplements via Solid-State Fermentation of Wheat (Triticum aestivum Linn.) by Cordyceps militaris

U radu su ispitana antioksidativna svojstva fermentirane pšenice (Triticum aestivum Linn.), ekstrahirane pomoću zakiseljene vode, 70 %-tnog acetona i 70 %-tnog etanola, u usporedbi s kontrolnim uzorkom. Antioksidativna aktivnost fermentirane pšenice, tj. njezina sposobnost uklanjanja 1,1-difenil-2-pikrilhidrazilnih i hidroksilnih radikala, reducirajuća snaga te sposobnost keliranja iona željeza, bila je veća od aktivnosti nefermentirane pšenice. Prinos ekstrakcije, ukupni udjel fenola, flavonoida i slobodnih fenolnih kiselina bili su kudikamo veći u fermentiranoj pšenici. Najveći udjel antioksidativnih spojeva, i to 66,37 mg/g polifenola, izraženih kao ekvivalent galne kiseline, i 32,27 mg/g flavonoida, izraženih kao ekvivalent rutina, te najmanju EC50 vrijednost imao je acetonski ekstrakt fermentirane pšenice. Stoga je zaključeno da se fermentacijom s pomoću gljive Cordyceps militaris može proizvesti zdrava hrana ili sastojak multifunkcionalnih svojstava, što se može upotrijebiti kao prirodni antioksidans u prehrambenoj industriji.The present study has been conducted to evaluate the antioxidant properties of fermented wheat (Triticum aestivum Linn.) extracted using acidified water, 70 % acetone and 70 % ethanol as compared to uninoculated control. Antioxidant activity, measured by the scavenging ability against 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radicals and hydroxyl radicals, reducing power and ferrous ion chelating ability was more effective in fermented than unfermented wheat. Furthermore, the extraction yield, total phenolic, total flavonoid and free phenolic acid content were significantly enhanced in fermented wheat. Among the various extracts examined, the acetone extract of the fermented wheat had the highest content of antioxidant compounds (66.37 mg/g as gallic acid equivalent per mass of the extract for polyphenols and 32.27 mg/g as rutin equivalent per mass of flavonoid extract) and antioxidant activity with the lowest EC50 values. Thus, fermentation with Cordyceps militaris can be used as a tool to develop wheat as a health food or ingredient with multi-functional properties which can be used in the food industry as a natural antioxidant

Napredak u istraživanju polisaharida izoliranih iz gljive vrste Cordyceps

Cordyceps sinensis (Berk.) Sacc. is one of the well-described fungi that has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for over 700 years. Fungal mycelia contain some polysaccharides that are responsible for their biological activity. C. sinensis has traditionally been cultivated on the high Tibetan plateau as a parasitic fungus growing on caterpillars. However, currently it is being cultivated on some insects and in artificial media. This article deals with the advances in the production, isolation and purification of Cordyceps polysaccharide (CP) in recent years, as well as the structure elucidation and pharmacological action. The article also aims to provide some references for further application and exploitation in the future.Cordyceps sinensis (Berk.) Sacc. jedna je od dobro poznatih gljiva što se više od 700 godina koristi u tradicionalnoj kineskoj medicini. Micelij gljive sadrži polisaharide koji utječu na njezinu biološku aktivnost. C. sinensis se tradicionalno uzgaja na Tibetanskom platou kao parazitska gljiva na gusjenicama leptira, a može se uzgajati i na ličinkama drugih insekata ili na umjetnoj podlozi. U radu se istražuje napredak postignut posljednjih godina u proizvodnji, izolaciji, pročišćavanju, strukturnoj analizi i procjeni farmakološkog djelovanja polisaharida iz gljive Cordyceps. Također je prikazan pregled referencija potrebnih za buduća istraživanja i primjenu tih polisaharida

Evaluation of spent coffee obtained from the most common coffeemakers as a source of hydrophilic bioactive compounds

The main hydrophilic antioxidant compounds (3-, 4-, and 5-monocaffeoylquinic and 3,4-, 3,5-, and 4,5-dicaffeoylquinic acids, caffeine, and browned compounds, including melanoidins) and the antioxidant capacity (Folin-Ciocalteu, ABTS, DPPH, Fremy's salt, and TEMPO) were evaluated in Arabica and Robusta spent coffee obtained from the preparation of coffee brews with the most common coffeemakers (filter, espresso, plunger, and mocha). All spent coffee grounds, with the exception of those from the mocha coffeemaker, had relevant amounts of total caffeoylquinic acids (6.22-13.24 mg/g of spent coffee), mainly dicaffeoylquinic acids (3.31-5.79 mg/g of spent coffee), which were 4-7-fold higher than in their respective coffee brews. Caffeine ranged from 3.59 to 8.09 mg/g of spent coffee. The antioxidant capacities of the aqueous spent coffee extracts were 46.0-102.3% (filter), 59.2-85.6% (espresso), and <42% (plunger) in comparison to their respective coffee brews. This study obtained spent coffee extracts with antioxidant properties that can be used as a good source of hydrophilic bioactive compounds

Valorisation of Biowastes for the Production of Green Materials Using Chemical Methods

With crude oil reserves dwindling, the hunt for a sustainable alternative feedstock for fuels and materials for our society continues to expand. The biorefinery concept has enjoyed both a surge in popularity and also vocal opposition to the idea of diverting food-grade land and crops for this purpose. The idea of using the inevitable wastes arising from biomass processing, particularly farming and food production, is, therefore, gaining more attention as the feedstock for the biorefinery. For the three main components of biomass—carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins—there are long-established processes for using some of these by-products. However, the recent advances in chemical technologies are expanding both the feedstocks available for processing and the products that be obtained. Herein, this review presents some of the more recent developments in processing these molecules for green materials, as well as case studies that bring these technologies and materials together into final products for applied usage

(Re)Making Family and Nation: The Production and Management of Citizenship and (Non)Citizen Identities in Law and Policy

In this dissertation, I use critical discourse analysis of congressional floor statements, Supreme Court case briefs, and related policy and legal texts to examine how gendered, racialized, sexualized, and classed representations of citizenship are articulated across three cases: immigration legislation, adoption proceedings involving an “Indian child,” and legal debates about same-sex marriage. Employing a comparative approach focused on The Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act (2013), Adoptive Couple v. Baby Girl (2013), and Hollingsworth v. Perry/United States v. Windsor (2013), I trace the convergent discourses of law, history, sovereignty, and blood/biology in shaping the terms of national, tribal, and familial inclusion and exclusion. Feminist, critical race, and critical policy perspectives inform my queer intersectional framework for thinking about how seemingly distinct terms of debate may, together, naturalize economic, social, and political inequalities. Analysis reveals the ideological and material conditions upon which the normative forms of social and political organization, (non)citizen-subject identities, and terms of political redress are made possible. I begin by exploring how notions of history, blood/biology, and sovereignty undergird (extra)legal productions of, and struggles for inclusion in, normative citizenship. Then, I track the relational figures – with particular focus on the “criminal (alien),” the “(queer) soldier,” and the “single mother” – that anchor these conceptions of normative citizenship across the three debates. I conclude with an examination of one figure – the “child” – whose symbolic vulnerability and rescue undergirds policy positions ranging from the repeal of the Defense Of Marriage Act (DOMA) to support for the DREAM Act and constitutional challenges to the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) and Native sovereignty

Tolerance development by means of foreign language

The article examines possibilities of tolerance development in the process of language learning. This possibility begs the question of foreign language teaching content correction