Tehnike uzgoja i ljekovita svojstva gljive Pleurotus spp.

The genus Pleurotus (oyster mushroom) comprises some most popular edible mushrooms due to their favourable organoleptic and medicinal properties, vigorous growth and undemanding cultivation conditions. It can be cultivated on log and a wide variety of agroforestry (by-)products, weeds and wastes for the production of food, feed, enzymes and medicinal compounds, or for waste degradation and detoxification. Many different techniques and substrates have been successfully utilized for mushroom cultivation and biomass production by means of solid-state and submerged liquid fermentation. However, in contrast to submerged liquid fermentation, solid-state fermentation is not often used in large scale due to severe engineering problems. Various Pleurotus species have been shown to possess a number of medicinal properties, such as antitumour, immunomodulatory, antigenotoxic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, hypocholesterolaemic, antihypertensive, antiplatelet-aggregating, antihyperglycaemic, antimicrobial and antiviral activities. These therapeutic activities are exhibited by extracts or isolated compounds from Pleurotus spp. fermentation broth, mycelia and fruiting bodies. In particular, polysaccharides appear to be potent antitumour and immuno-enhancing substances, besides possessing other beneficial activities. However, the biochemical mechanisms of these therapeutic activities still remain largely unknown. This review focuses on recent advances in the biotechnology of Pleurotus spp., with emphasis on the production of fruiting bodies, the production of mycelium and bioactive compounds by solid-state and submerged liquid fermentation. The medicinal properties of this mushroom are also outlined.Rod gljiva Pleurotus (bukovače) obuhvaća neke od najpopularnijih jestivih gljiva, zbog njihovih poželjnih organoleptičkih i ljekovitih svojstava, bujnoga rasta i malih zahtjeva pri uzgoju. Mogu se uzgajati na deblu i raznim poljoprivrednim i šumskim (nus)proizvodima, korovima i otpadu, kao hrana, krmivo, za proizvodnju enzima i medicinskih spojeva, te za razgradnju otpada i detoksifikaciju. Pri uzgoju gljiva i proizvodnji biomase fermentacijom na krutoj podlozi i submerznom fermentacijom na tekućoj podlozi uspješno su korištene razne tehnike i supstrati. Međutim, za razliku od submerzne fermentacije u tekućoj podlozi, fermentacija na krutoj podlozi ne primjenjuje se često zbog ozbiljnih inženjerskih problema. Gljive vrste Pleurotus imaju niz ljekovitih svojstava, antitumorski, imunomodulacijski, antigenotoksični, antioksidativni i protuupalni učinak, snizuju kolesterol i povišeni arterijski tlak, sprečavaju trombozu, snizuju razinu šećera u krvi te imaju antimikrobni i antivirusni učinak. Terapijska svojstva imaju ekstrakti ili spojevi izolirani iz fermentacijske podloge, micelija ili plodišta gljiva Pleurotus spp. Točnije, polisaharidi su ti koji sprečavaju nastanak tumora i jačaju imunitet te imaju i druga poželjna svojstva. Međutim, biokemijski mehanizmi tih procesa uglavnom su nepoznati. U ovom je revijalnom prikazu naglasak na najnovijim dostignućima u biotehnološkoj primjeni gljiva Pleurotus spp., osobito na proizvodnji plodišta, micelija i bioaktivnih spojeva fermentacijom na krutoj podlozi i submerznom fermentacijom u tekućoj podlozi. Prikazana su i ljekovita svojstva tih gljiva

Cultivation Techniques and Medicinal Properties of Pleurotus spp.

The genus Pleurotus (oyster mushroom) comprises some most popular edible mushrooms due to their favourable organoleptic and medicinal properties, vigorous growth and undemanding cultivation conditions. It can be cultivated on log and a wide variety of agroforestry (by-)products, weeds and wastes for the production of food, feed, enzymes and medicinal compounds, or for waste degradation and detoxification. Many different techniques and substrates have been successfully utilized for mushroom cultivation and biomass production by means of solid-state and submerged liquid fermentation. However, in contrast to submerged liquid fermentation, solid-state fermentation is not often used in large scale due to severe engineering problems. Various Pleurotus species have been shown to possess a number of medicinal properties, such as antitumour, immunomodulatory, antigenotoxic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, hypocholesterolaemic, antihypertensive, antiplatelet-aggregating, antihyperglycaemic, antimicrobial and antiviral activities. These therapeutic activities are exhibited by extracts or isolated compounds from Pleurotus spp. fermentation broth, mycelia and fruiting bodies. In particular, polysaccharides appear to be potent antitumour and immuno-enhancing substances, besides possessing other beneficial activities. However, the biochemical mechanisms of these therapeutic activities still remain largely unknown. This review focuses on recent advances in the biotechnology of Pleurotus spp., with emphasis on the production of fruiting bodies, the production of mycelium and bioactive compounds by solid-state and submerged liquid fermentation. The medicinal properties of this mushroom are also outlined

VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS EMITTED FROM UNTREATED AND THERMALLY MODIFIED WOOD - A REVIEW

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are a diverse group of compounds that can have a strong impact on indoor air quality.Wood and thermally modified wood emit VOCs, which are referred to as wood VOCs, and can elicit various negative or positive effects in different organisms, including humans. Wood is a complex multicomponent biopolymer with inherent variability, which is also reflected in the emissions of VOCs. Variability in wood VOC emissions has been attributed to endogenous and exogenous factors, such as wood species, type of wood sample, wood treatment, etc. Nevertheless, studies have reported reasonably consistent results regarding VOC emissions from individual (thermally modified) wood species. Softwoods emit the highest concentrations of wood VOCs composed primarily of volatile terpene emissions (70-90%) and lower concentrations of hexanal and acetic acid (10-25%). VOC emissions from hardwoods are considerably lower (approximately 50 times) and include hexanal and pentanal, acetic acid, as well as other VOCs formed during wood degradation processes, but not volatile terpenes. Total VOC emissions from softwoods are reduced following thermal treatment, whereas emissions are increased from hardwoods after thermal treatment. In thermally treated softwoods, emissions of volatile terpenes and hexanal are drastically decreased, whereas those of acetic acid and furfural increase. Similarly, in thermally treated hardwoods, the emissions of hexanal and pentanal are reduced, whereas acetic acid and furfural, as well as other compounds increase. In addition, formaldehyde emissions are ubiquitous, albeit at low concentrations, but increase following heat treatment. Furthermore, the number of VOCs emitted from thermally treated wood increases with heat treatment temperature. This review article will help guide future research, particularly the evaluation of the impact of different wood species on indoor air quality and the development ofmodification techniques that target extraction or suppression of VOCemissions. 

Data from: A lectin-mediated resistance of higher fungi against predators and parasites

Fruiting body lectins are ubiquitous in higher fungi and characterized by being synthesized in the cytoplasm and up-regulated during sexual development. The function of these lectins is unclear. A lack of phenotype in sexual development upon inactivation of the respective genes argues against a function in this process. We tested a series of characterized fruiting body lectins from different fungi for toxicity towards the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, the mosquito Aedes aegypti and the amoeba Acanthamoeba castellanii. Most of the fungal lectins were found to be toxic towards at least one of the three target organisms. By altering either the fungal lectin or the glycans of the target organisms, or by including soluble carbohydrate ligands as competitors, we demonstrate that the observed toxicity is dependent on the interaction between the fungal lectins and specific glycans in the target organisms. The toxicity was found to be dose-dependent such that low levels of lectin were no longer toxic but still led to food avoidance by C. elegans. Finally, we show, in an ecologically more relevant scenario, that challenging the vegetative mycelium of Coprinopsis cinerea with the fungal-feeding nematode Aphelenchus avenae induces the expression of the nematotoxic fruiting body lectins CGL1 and CGL2. Based on these findings, we propose that filamentous fungi possess an inducible resistance against predators and parasites mediated by lectins that are specific for glycans of these antagonists