Purification of bioactive polysaccharides from Lentinula edodes using fixed-bed column with activated carbon

ABSTRACT

The polysaccharides derived from Lentinula edodes exhibit highly desirable bioactivities with significant commercial potential. However, obtaining them has presented challenges due to the complex matrix of natural products. This study aims to address this issue by purifying polysaccharides from expired shiitake mushrooms using a fixed-bed column with activated carbon. Temperature and mobile phase were investigated. Results showed that 40% of the total sugars present in the initial sample can be recovered. Moreover, all assays showed antioxidant activity. In total, five polysaccharides were identified. The monosaccharide composition of all exopolysaccharides (EPS) was composed only of glucose and their respective molecular weights were 4.2$\times$10⁴ kDa; 2.5$\times$10⁴ kDa; 9.3$\times$10³ kDa; 2.6$\times$10³ kDa; and 1.1$\times$10³ kDa determined by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis. These results demonstrated the potential of shiitake for further exploration and optimization, indicating the possibility of even greater advancements in the extraction process and the commercial feasibility of these valuable compounds.

KEYWORDS:

• Exopolysaccharides
• fixed-bed column
• shiitake
• activated carbon

Acknowledgments

The authors thank Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES) and National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) for scholarships, and the Research Support Foundation of the State of Rio Grande do Sul (FAPERGS) for the financial support.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Highlights

• Purification of polysaccharides with bioactivities was evaluated;

• Expired commercial shiitake can be reused using its separate compounds;

• Study of cheap technology for purifying compounds in complex matrices;

• Fixed-bed column with activated carbon for the purification of natural compounds.

Additional information

Funding

The work was supported by the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq), Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul (FAPERGS) and Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (Capes).