Effect of ozone gas as an elicitor to enhance the bioactive compounds in Ganoderma lucidum

The bioactive compounds of Ganoderma lucidum are used for various human ailments resulting in a high demand for G. lucidum across the globe. The cultivation and isolation of bioactive compounds is not sufficient to balance the supply and current demand. Therefore, this study aims to increase the amount of bioactive compounds by subjecting this mushroom to one of the abiotic elicitors, ozone. The fresh fruiting bodies were exposed to ozone gas at different concentrations (1, 5 and 9 mu L L (1)) and time intervals (1, 12, 24 and 48 h) to evaluate the physical as well as the chemical changes induced to the fruiting bodies. Physical parameters of the study include colour, weight, and firmness of fruiting bodies, whereas the chemical measures include detection of total phenolic content, flavonoids, water-soluble polysaccharides, and crude ganoderic acids. The antioxidant properties of fruiting bodies were determined by DPPH, FRAP and ABTS assays. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.