Abstract
Cordyceps militaris, a medicinal and edible mushroom, was used to ferment buckwheat and embryo rice by solid-state fermentation (SSF). Our aim was to investigate the effect of ultraviolet B (UVB) light irradiation on the content of vitamin D2 and biologically effective components, and antioxidant properties of buckwheat and embryo rice in SSF with C. militaris. Irradiated samples of buckwheat and embryo rice fermented by C. militaris had significantly increased vitamin D2 content, from 0-0.3 to 1.18-16.79 μg/g, while the increase in fresh embryo rice fermented by C. militaris was up to 16.79 μg/g. The content of adenosine, cordycepin and polysaccharide in irradiated dry samples fermented by C. militaris was 0.08 to 11.15 mg/g, higher than that of the irradiated fresh samples fermented by C. militaris (0.07-8.40 mg/g). Samples fermented by C. militaris had lower EC50 values and higher content of antioxidants than did unfermented samples. When the solid-state fermented sample was irradiated with UVB light, the content of biologically effective and antioxidant components and antioxidant property of sample decreased. However, it still contained enough of these biologically effective and antioxidant components.
Highlights
The medicinal caterpillar fungus Cordyceps militaris (L.) Link (Clavicipitaceae, Ascomycetes) is the only cultivated caterpillar fungus whose fruiting bodies can be formed without the process of caterpillar infection [1]
With ultraviolet B (UVB) irradiation of the three differently treated fermented products, the vitamin D2 content was in the descending order: fresh fermented products>dried fermented products>untreated fresh products
After UVB irradiation, fresh buckwheat and embryo rice fermented by C. militaris had higher vitamin D2 and flavonoid content, antioxidant properties of ethanolic extracts and antioxidant activity than dried fermented products
Summary
The medicinal caterpillar fungus Cordyceps militaris (L.) Link (Clavicipitaceae, Ascomycetes) is the only cultivated caterpillar fungus whose fruiting bodies can be formed without the process of caterpillar infection [1]. It contains many bioactive components, such as adenosine, cordycepin and polysaccharides. Cultivation methods of C. militaris mainly include solid-state fermentation, submerged fermentation and membrane-surface liquid cultivation [9,10]. The solid-state fermentation (SSF) of grains by C. militaris results in biotransformed grains with high antioxidant activity, DNA damage protection, and angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activity, thereby providing a method to obtain oats and chickpeas with enhanced functional value [11,12]. In the present study, SSF of grains by C. militaris was studied to find a technological method to potentially produce functional foods and nutraceutical formulations
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