ANTIOXIDANT PROPERTIES OF COPRINUS COMATUS

Coprinus comatus (Muller: Fries) S.F. Gray (shaggy mane), also called the lawyer's wig mushroom, is currently available in Taiwan for use in the formulation of nutraceuticals and functional foods. The ethanolic and hot water extracts were prepared from C. comatus fruit bodies, mycelia and fermentation filtrate and their antioxidant properties were studied. Ethanolic extracts were more effective than hot water extracts in antioxidant activity using the conjugated diene method and scavenging ability on 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radicals, whereas hot water extracts were more effective in reducing power, scavenging ability on hydroxyl radials and chelating ability on ferrous ions as evidenced by values at 50% effective concentration (EC50 values). Naturally occurring antioxidant components including ascorbic acid (0.04-2.95 mg/g), total tocopherols (0.00-4.94 mg/g) and total phenols (2.26-7.33 mg/g) were found in the extracts and their contents were associated (r = 0.567-0.829) with EC50 value of antioxidant properties. Overall, ethanolic extracts from fruit bodies and hot water extracts from mycelia were more effective among the antioxidant properties assayed.