Production with Fermentation Culture and Antioxidant Activity of Polysaccharides from Morchella esculenta

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The study on "Production by Fermentation Culture and Antioxidant Activity of Polysaccharides from Morchella esculenta" focuses on the valuable edible and medicinal fungus Morchella esculenta, particularly its scarcity in the wild and the importance of optimized cultivation for polysaccharide production. The researchers successfully isolated the M. esculenta strain MS-1 and determined the optimal culture conditions for extracellular polysaccharide production, which includes 3.7% glucose, 2% yeast extract, and 0.15% sodium chloride. This study is significant for its in-depth analysis of the polysaccharides MSF and MSL extracted from M. esculenta, showcasing their considerable antioxidant activities. These polysaccharides demonstrated the capability to repair oxidative damage in zebrafish embryos and influence the transcriptional activity of oxidative stress-related genes. A key aspect of this research is the utilization of liquid fermentation as a method to produce these polysaccharides, offering an efficient alternative to traditional cultivation methods. The identification and detailed characterization of the M. esculenta strain MS-1 are central to the study, supporting its conclusions and potential applications. The study's strengths include a thorough experimental approach and significant findings related to the antioxidant activities of the polysaccharides. However, it could benefit from broader comparisons with other similar fungal species and a deeper investigation into the specific molecular mechanisms of these antioxidant activities. Additionally, the practical applications of these findings in health conditions or industrial processes are not extensively explored in the paper. Overall, the research offers valuable insights into the potential of M. esculenta polysaccharides as materials for functional food and drugs, with its detailed experimental methods ensuring a comprehensive investigation.

1.        How does the yield of polysaccharides from Morchella esculenta in liquid fermentation compare to traditional cultivation methods in terms of quantity and quality?

2.        Were there any specific reasons for choosing the particular concentrations of glucose, yeast extract, and sodium chloride in the culture medium, and how do these concentrations influence polysaccharide production?

3.        Can the antioxidant activities of the polysaccharides MSF and MSL be linked to specific structural features or compositions, and if so, how?

4.        What are the potential implications of the findings for industrial-scale production of these polysaccharides, considering scalability and cost-effectiveness?

5.        Were any potential inhibitory effects or toxicities observed in the zebrafish model when exposed to higher concentrations of MSF and MSL?

6.        How do the physicochemical properties of the polysaccharides extracted from M. esculenta through liquid fermentation differ from those extracted from the fruiting body, and what might be the reasons for these differences?

7.        Could the study have benefited from a broader range of analytical techniques to further characterize the polysaccharides, and if so, which techniques?

8.        Was there any consideration of the potential environmental impacts of the optimized liquid fermentation process for M. esculenta, such as waste generation or energy consumption?

9.        How might the results of this study be influenced if different strains of M. esculenta were used, or if the fermentation conditions were varied?

10.   What additional research or experimentation would be necessary to translate these findings into practical applications, such as in the functional food or pharmaceutical industries?

Author Response

Please see the attachment

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The manuscript deals on the optimization of production and characterization of  polysaccharides from an isolate of Morchella esculenta.

 

Major comments

1.   Do not use the term "strain" to refer to the biological isolate, please correct it in the entire manuscript. If you have doubts between strain and isolate, please review these concepts.

2.   The introduction is not supported by well-selected bibliographic data. I recommend to the authors a review of some relevant aspects and improve the revised version of this manuscript. Only a few references have been included in the manuscript.  Please add relevant references to enhance the global importance of the paper.

3.   Lines 55 to 69 are repetitive with the abstract

4.   In Section 2.4.3 information of substrate concentration is missing

5.   The discussion part should be expanded.

6.  The obtained results are presented but their interpretation/correlation with other studies is missing.

7. Please clearly state the implications for research, practice, and society in the conclusions or the abstract.

8.There is no clear conclusion to the work. The text refers to the objective of the work and a summary of the results, but the conclusions are missing.

9.   A native English speaker must revise the manuscript. It is recommended to use the English tools offered by the Editorial.

Minor comments

1. In Fig. 1a must be “maltose”

2. please see the minor comments into the document (comments_fermentation-2774953-peer-review-v1.pdf) using the Adobe Acrobat tools.

Comments on the Quality of English Language

 A native English speaker must revise the manuscript. It is recommended to use the English tools offered by the Editorial.

Author Response

Please see the attachment.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf