| Research Abstract |
We have recently discovered that some genera of mushrooms produce alcohol dehydrogenase, and made wine, beer and sake using mushrooms in place of S.cerevisiae. Thrombosis is one of the major causes of death in Japan and the western world. Presently, the three kinds of thrombolytic agents clinically used are streptokinase, urokinase, and tissue-type plasminogen activator. However, there are still major problems with their use from the viewpoint of antigenicity, non-specific breakdown of other blood factors and the localization of the fibrin clot because of high enzymatic activity, respectively. We tried to screen for microorganisms having anti-thrombin activity to obtain effective anti-thrombin substances and having fibrinolytic enzymes. Some anti-thrombin and fibrinolytic activities were found from many culture broths of mushrooms. Therefore, we used mushrooms as experimental materials to produce functional foods which could have a preventive effect against a thrombosis, as well as oth
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er health benefits.
For this experiment, we used 46 kinds of mushrooms and 29 kinds of food-materials including cereals, potatoes and starches, sugars, pulses, fruits, milks and beer yeast. Mycelia cultivation was carried out for 2 or 3 months with standing or with shaking at room temperature. Culture broths were used for the assay of functionality as food.
In 2002, we tested the alcohol fermentation with Flammulina velutipes and Laetiporus sulphureus using purple sweet potatoes and obtained 2.2 and 2.9% alcohol production with shaking, respectively. Culture broths from Laetiporus sulphureus showed purple color derived from potatoes anti-oxygen activity, TNF-alfa, NO and beta-glucan formation. By the enzymatic determination L.sulphureus alcohol fermentation was shown to be occurred by both pathway of Embden Meyerhof nad Entner Doudoroff, as known in yeast alcohol fermentation and Z-bacterium, respectively.
In 2003, we tested further food functional activities using 46 strains of mushrooms. Alcohol production was found in Ganoderma lucidum, Hericium erinaceum and Shizophyllum commune as well as F.velutipus and L.sulphureus. These mushrooms showed anti-thrombin and fibrinolytic activities in broths of beer yeast, soybean and oatmeal. Especially, G.lucidum and H.erinaceum accumulated biotin active substances(10mg per liter) consisting from the mixture of biotin, dethiobiotin and 7-keto-8-aminopelargonic acid in broths of pulses, oats and soybean milk.
In 2004, we found several functional activities in culture broths of G.lucidum, L.sulphureus and F.velutipes. Alfa-amylase inhibitory activities, angiotensin I converting enzyme inhibitory activities and tyrosinase inhibitory activities were shown in culture broths of soybean, fruit juice and beer yeast. In addition, Agrocybe cylindracea showed anti-microbial activities against Bacillus subtilis, Echerichia coli, Aspergillis niger and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Less
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