Search Results (15)

The genus Auricularia, and specifically the species A. auricula, is a globally significant edible fungus with a long history of cultivation and notable nutritional and medicinal properties. This review systematically examines the taxonomic classification, morphological and physiological characteristics, and bioactive components (such as polysaccharides, melanin, proteins and polyphenols) of A. auricula, as well as their pharmacological effects and industrial applications. Recent molecular biological advances have clarified taxonomic uncertainties, including the reclassification of ‘heimuer’ as A. cornea, and emphasized the species’ genetic diversity. A. auricula thrives in temperate and subtropical regions, with cultivation techniques evolving from traditional wood log inoculation to modern substrate-based methods. However, sustainability challenges persist, including reliance on virgin wood substrates and the need for improved spent substrate management. The fungus exhibits remarkable nutritional properties, with polysaccharides (up to 66.1% of dry weight) demonstrating hypoglycemic, antitumor, immunomodulatory, and antioxidant activities. Melanin and proteins further contribute to hepatoprotection, antimicrobial effects, and metabolic regulation. Industrial applications of Auricularia species extend beyond food into pharmaceuticals and functional materials. Polysaccharides are explored as drug carriers, while melanin shows promise in antioxidant and antibacterial formulations. Despite these advances, gaps remain in understanding the mechanistic basis of bioactive compound functions and optimizing cultivation for sustainable production. Future research should integrate multi-omics approaches to elucidate genetic regulation, enhance substrate formulations, and develop value-added products. This review underscores the potential of Auricularia species as a functional food and biotechnological resource, advocating for interdisciplinary efforts to address current challenges and unlock its full industrial potential. Full article

Auricularia (wood ear fungus) is susceptible to Burkholderia gladioli pv. cocovenenans (BGC) and causes food poisoning. This study investigated pulsed-light (PL) inactivation of BGC on Auricularia. The evaluation of PL parameters indicated that lower initial biomass, shorter distance, and more fluences were more effective in inactivating BGC. This study achieved 5~8 Log reductions in BGC in phosphate-buffered saline and ~4 Log reductions in Auricularia auricula and Auricularia cornea var. Li, and the survivor curves fit the Weibull model well with R² values of 0.943~0.987 and RMSE values of 0.308~0.430 in all three substrates. PL caused cell membrane damage, leading to DNA, protein, and ATP leakage and increased ROS production. PL caused an alteration in color (ΔE 3.01~7.67) but not springiness and cohesiveness in the texture of Auricularia at 11.80~35.40 J/cm². In all, PL is effective in inactivating BGC on the surface of Auricularia at 35.40 J/cm² and can be taken as a good controlling measure. Full article

Wood waste, primarily composed of lignin, cellulose, and hemicellulose, which is typically disposed of through burning and crushing, poses environmental challenges. However, conventional wood waste disposal methods present critical limitations, such as environmental pollution and resource waste. To develop sustainable processing strategies to dispose wood waste, we identified two fungal isolates, SMF410-5-1 and ME1-1, from decayed wood trunks, demonstrating high lignocellulose-degrading enzyme activities, including laccase (Lac, 125.7 U/mL), manganese peroxidase (MnP, 89.3 U/mL), and lignin peroxidase (LiP, 67.9 U/mL). Isolates of ME1-1 and SMF410-5-1 both exhibited superior poplar lignin degradation, while SMF410-5-1 excelled in coniferous wood weight losses, which reached 19.7% for pine after 180 days post inoculation. Moreover, biochemical analyses revealed that isolates of ME1-1 and SMF410-5-1 accelerated the degradation by producing various lignocellulose-degrading enzymes to hydrolyze wood waste. In addition, through multi-locus phylogenetic analysis using sequences of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS), large subunit ribosomal RNA (LSU), and RNA polymerase II second largest subunit (RPB2), SMF410-5-1 and ME1-1 were identified as Phlebia formosana and Auricularia cornea, respectively. This study provides novel insights into fungal-driven biodegradation, offering eco-friendly solutions for forest waste recycling and supporting circular bioeconomy strategies. Full article

Auricularia cornea var. Li., as an edible mushroom rich in various nutrients, could be widely used in noodle food. This study aimed to investigate the effect of Auricularia cornea var. Li. (AU) powder on the gel properties, structure and quality of starch noodles. Taking the sample without adding AU powder as a control, the addition of AU powder enhanced the peak viscosity, trough viscosity, final viscosity, breakdown, setback, peak time, gelatinization temperature, G′ (storage modulus) and G′′ (loss modulus). Meanwhile, the incorporation of AU powder significantly enhanced the stability of the starch gel structure and contributed to a more ordered microstructure also promoting the short-term aging of starch paste. In vitro digestion results displayed lower rapid digestibility (21.68%) but higher resistant starch content (26.58%) with the addition of AU powder and increased breaking rate, cooking loss, swelling index and a* and b* values. However, it decreased dry matter content and L*, particularly the reducing sugar content significantly increased to 4.01% (p < 0.05), and the total amino acid content rose to 349.91 mg/g. The GC-IMS library identified 51 VOCs, and the OPLS-DA model classified 18 VOCs (VIP > 1). Overall, the findings indicate that starch noodles with the addition of AU powder may provide greater nutritional quality, gel stability and starch antidigestibility. Full article

In this study, Auricularia cornea var. Li. polysaccharides (ACP) were used as the research object to prepare liposome gel and determine its antioxidant activity in vitro. Phosphorylated Auricularia cornea var. Li. polysaccharides (P-ACP) were prepared via the phosphorylation of ACP by the phosphate method. Additionally, phosphorylated Auricularia cornea var. Li. polysaccharide liposomes (P-ACPL) were prepared using a reverse evaporation method. Finally, phosphorylated Auricularia cornea var. Li. polysaccharide liposome gel (P-ACPLG) was prepared by dispersing the P-ACPL in the gel matrix. The results show that the phosphorylation of the P-ACP was 15.51%, the containment rate of the P-ACPL was 84.50%, the average particle size was (192.2 ± 3.3) nm, and the particle size distribution map had a homogeneous peak, resulting in the particle dispersion being uniform and the polydispersion index (PDI) being 0.134 ± 0.021. The average Zeta potential was (−33.4 ± 0.57) mV. In addition, the in vitro antioxidant activity of the P-ACPL was slightly higher than that of the ACP and P-ACP. After the P-ACPL was emulsified into P-ACPLG, the DPPH, hydroxyl radical clearance, and reducing the ability of P-ACPL remained unchanged. In general, the P-ACPLG prepared in this study has good antioxidant activity in vitro and can retain the antioxidant activity of P-ACPL in vitro well. Full article

This study’s objective was to examine the protective effect and mechanism of a novel polysaccharide (AYP) from Auricularia cornea var. Li. on alcoholic liver disease in mice. AYP was extracted from the fruiting bodies of Auricularia cornea var. Li. by enzymatic extraction and purified by DEAE-52 and Sephacryl S-400. Structural features were determined using high-performance liquid chromatography, ion exchange chromatography and Fourier-transform infrared analysis. Additionally, alcoholic liver disease (ALD) mice were established to explore the hepatoprotective activity of AYP (50, 100 and 200 mg/kg/d). Here, our results showed that AYP presented high purity with a molecular weight of 4.64 × 10⁵ Da. AYP was composed of galacturonic acid, galactose, glucose, arabinose, mannose, xylose, rhamnose, ribos, glucuronic acid and fucose (molar ratio: 39.5:32.9:23.6:18.3:6.5:5.8:5.8:3.3:2:1.1). Notably, AYP remarkably reduced liver function impairment (alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC)), nitric oxide (NO) and malondialdehyde (MDA) of the liver and enhanced the activity of antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and glutathione (gGSH)) in mice with ALD. Meanwhile, the serum level of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) were reduced in ALD mice treated by AYP. Furthermore, the AYPH group was the most effective and was therefore chosen to further investigate its effect on the intestinal microbiota (bacteria and fungi) of ALD mice. Based on 16s rRNA and ITS-1 sequencing data, AYP influenced the homeostasis of intestinal microbiota to mitigate the damage of ALD mice, possibly by raising the abundance of favorable microbiota (Muribaculaceae, Lachnospiraceae and Kazachstania) and diminishing the abundance of detrimental microbiota (Lactobacillus, Mortierella and Candida). This discovery opens new possibilities for investigating physiological activity in A. cornea var. Li. and provides theoretical references for natural liver-protecting medication research. Full article

Liposomes (Lip) are microstructures containing lipid and aqueous phases for encapsulation and delivery of bioactivators. In this study, Ginsenoside Rh2 liposomes (Rh2−Lip) were prepared by a thin-film hydrated ultrasonic binding method. But they are not stable during storage. In addition, Rh2−Lip was wrapped with Auricultural cornea polysaccharide (ACP) and Chitosan (CS) as coating materials to improve stability. CS coating was used as a positive control. The particle sizes determined by dynamic light scattering (DLS) showed 183 ± 5.52 nm for liposomes, 197 ± 6.7 nm for Auricultural cornea polysaccharide coated liposomes (ACP−Rh2−Lip), and 198 ± 3.5 nm for Chitosan coated liposomes (CS−Rh2−Lip). The polydispersity index (PDI) of all liposomes was less than 0.3. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showed that ACP and CS were successfully encapsulated on the liposome surface. In vitro simulations of digestive stability in the gastrointestinal tract showed that ACP−Rh2−Lip and CS−Rh2−Lip were more stable in gastrointestinal fluids compared to Lip. The antioxidant experiment revealed that ACP−Rh2−Lip has greater antioxidant activity than Lip. The purpose of this study was to look into the effects of ACP−Rh2−Lip and to offer a reference for Ginsenoside Rh2 (Rh2) delivery. Full article

Color is a crucial feature to consider when breeding and improving strains of Auricularia cornea. To uncover the mechanism of white strain formation in A. cornea, this study selected parental strains that were homozygous for the color trait and analyzed the genetic laws of A. cornea color through genetic population construction, such as test-cross, back-cross, and self-cross populations, and the statistical analysis of color trait segregation. Moreover, the study developed SSR molecular markers to construct a genetic linkage map, perform the fine mapping the color-controlling genetic locus, and verify candidate genes using yeast two-hybrid, transcriptome analysis, and different light treatments. The results of the study indicated that the color trait of A. cornea is controlled by two pairs of alleles. When both pairs of loci are dominant, the fruiting body is purple, while when both pairs of loci are recessive or one pair of loci is recessive, the fruiting body is white. Based on the linkage map, the study finely mapped the color locus within Contig9_29,619bp-53,463bp in the A. cornea genome and successfully predicted the color-controlling locus gene A18078 (AcveA), which belongs to the Velvet factor family protein and has a conserved structure domain of the VeA protein. It can form a dimer with the VelB protein to inhibit pigment synthesis in filamentous fungi. Lastly, the study validated the interaction between AcVeA and VelB (AcVelB) in A. cornea at the gene, protein, and phenotype levels, revealing the mechanism of inhibition of pigment synthesis in A. cornea. Under dark conditions, dimerization occurs, allowing it to enter the nucleus and inhibit pigment synthesis, leading to a lighter fruiting body color. However, under light conditions, the dimer content is low and cannot enter the nucleus to inhibit pigment synthesis. In summary, this study clarified the mechanism of white strain formation in A. cornea, which could aid in improving white strains of A. cornea and studying the genetic basis of color in other fungi. Full article

Auricularia cornea, or wood ear mushroom (WEM), is an edible macrofungus that is popular as a delicacy and for various biological activities. This study aims to determine the nutrient composition, in vitro antioxidant activities and the effect on postprandial blood glucose in human subjects after consuming instant noodles incorporated with 5% WEM powder. The proximate composition of WEM powder was 9.76% moisture, 2.40% ash, 7.52% protein, 0.15% fat, 37.96% crude fibre, 42.21% carbohydrate, and a total dietary fibre was 69.43%. Meanwhile, the proximate composition of 5% WEM noodles was 10.21% moisture, 2.87% ash, 11.37% protein, 0.16% fat, 5.68% crude fibre and 68.96% carbohydrates, while the total dietary fibre was 13.30%. The mineral content of WEM powder in decreasing order: potassium > calcium > magnesium > sodium > iron > zinc > manganese > copper > selenium > chromium. The incorporation of 5% WEM powder significantly (p < 0.05) reduced carbohydrates and increased the ash, crude fibre and total dietary fibre, antioxidant activities and total phenolic content of the instant noodles. Furthermore, the incorporation of 5% WEM significantly increased potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, and zinc content. The addition of WEM powder reduced the postprandial glycaemic response and produced a moderate glycaemic index (GI). In conclusion, the incorporation with WEM powder could be an effective way of developing nutritious and low GI instant noodles, thus, improving nutrient intake and human health. Full article

Auricularia cornea var. Li. polysaccharide (ACP) has many important biological activities and has potential application value in food engineering, pharmaceutical science, and health care. The results were as follows: the extraction rate of ACP was 28.18% ± 1.41% and the purity of ACP was 86.92% ± 2.80%. ACP contains mannitol 32.41%, glucuronic acid 6.96%, rhamnose 0.32%, glucose 42.35%, galactose 0.77%, xylose 16.83%, and fucose 0.36%, without galacturonic acid and arabinose. In addition, the results of an animal test of diabetes mellitus II (DM II) with ACP showed that the total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and fasting blood glucose and water in the serum of mice with ACP were significantly lower than those in the model group; the serum SOD, hepatic glycogen, and insulin of mice added with ACP were significantly higher than those in the model group. More importantly, ACP had no significant adverse effects on organ index and liver and kidney tissue morphology in mice. These results suggest that ACP can be used as a potential functional food component for the prevention or treatment of diabetes. Full article

Flavonoids, which are abundant in plants, are recognized for their antioxidant and anticancer roles in clinical applications. However, little is known about the molecular basis of flavonoid biosynthesis in fungi. In this study, we found that inclusion of leachate of Korshinsk peashrub (Caragana korshinskii) in the fermentation medium increased the total flavonoid content of the edible fungus Auricularia cornea by 23.6% relative to that grown in a control medium. Combined transcriptomic and non-targeted metabolomic analysis of the flavonoid biosynthesis pathway in A. cornea illustrated that there are important metabolites in the phenylpropanoid, coumarin and isoflavonoid biosynthesis pathways. In addition, we found that certain homologous genes encode phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL), polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and chalcone isomerase (CHI) in these biosynthesis pathways. These results, in this study, provide a new line for studying the regulation of flavonoid production in edible fungi. Full article

The effect of Auriculariacornea (AC) as an alternative for pork fat on the physico-chemical properties and sensory characteristics of cooked sausage were evaluated. The results indicated that replacement of pork fat with AC led to a significant increase in the protein, ash, moisture, cooking loss, water holding capacity, springiness, and chewiness, especially isoleucine, leucine, proline, palmitic, palmitoleic, oleic, and arachidonic acids of the sausages. In contrast, AC reduced the level of fat (12.61%–87.56%) and energy (5.76%–56.40%) of the sausages. In addition, AC led to the mild lightness, yellowness, whiteness, and soft texture, while it did not affect the water activity of the sausages. From the sensory point of view, all sausages were judged acceptable, and the substitution of 75% of pork fat by AC exhibited best sensory characteristics. In a word, AC is a promising food to partially replace the pork fat in sausages. Full article

Auricularia has a worldwide distribution and is very important due to its edibility and medicinal properties. Morphological examinations and multi-gene phylogenetic analyses of 277 samples from 35 countries in Asia, Europe, North and South America, Africa, and Oceania were carried out. Phylogenetic analyses were based on ITS, nLSU, rpb1, and rpb2 sequences using methods of Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian Inference analyses. According to the morphological and/or molecular characters, 37 Auricularia species were identified. Ten new species, A. camposii and A. novozealandica in the A. cornea complex, A. australiana, A. conferta, A. lateralis, A. pilosa and A. sinodelicata in the A. delicata complex, A. africana, A. srilankensis, and A. submesenterica in the A. mesenterica complex, are described. The two known species A. pusio and A. tremellosa, respectively belonging to the A. mesenterica complex and the A. delicata complex, are redefined, while A. angiospermarum, belonging to the A. auricula-judae complex, is validated. The morphological characters, photos, ecological traits, hosts and geographical distributions of those 37 species are outlined and discussed. Morphological differences and phylogenetic relations of species in five Auricularia morphological complexes (the A. auricula-judae, the A. cornea, the A. delicata, the A. fuscosuccinea and the A. mesenterica complexes) are elaborated. Synopsis data on comparisons of species in the five complexes are provided. An identification key for the accepted 37 species is proposed. Full article

Selenium Auricularia cornea culture (SAC) is a new source of organic selenium. Two experiments were conducted to determine the available energy of SAC fed to pigs and to evaluate the effects of dietary SAC supplementation on growth performance, serum biochemical profiles, fecal short chain fatty acids (SCFA), meat quality, tissue selenium concentration, and oxidative stability of fresh meat in growing-finishing pigs. In Experiment (Exp.) 1, 12 barrows with average body weight (BW) of 42.40 ± 5.30 kg were randomly allotted to two groups and fed the basal diet and SAC-supplemented diet, individually. In Exp. 2, 96 growing-finishing pigs (BW: 91.96 ± 7.55 kg) were grouped into four dietary treatments; each treatment contained six replicates with four pigs per replicate. The four treatments fed a control diet and three experimental diets supplemented with 0.6%, 1.2%, and 2.4% SAC, respectively. The trial lasted for 45 days. The results revealed that digestible energy (DE) of SAC was 11.21 MJ/kg. The average daily gain (ADG) was improved in pigs fed 1.2% and 2.4% SAC during day 24 to 45 and the overall period. Dietary 1.2% and 2.4% SAC supplementation had a lower F/G (p < 0.05) than the control diet during different stages. Dietary SAC supplementation increased fecal butyrate contents (p < 0.05), and pigs fed 1.2% and 2.4% SAC diets had a higher MCT1 mRNA expression (p = 0.04) in the colon. Pigs fed 2.4% SAC had higher GSH-Px contents (p < 0.05) in serum, liver, and longissimus dorsi muscle (LDM) than those in the control group. The 2.4% SAC-supplemented group revealed a higher Se content (p < 0.05) in LDM and a lower MDA concentration (p < 0.05) in fresh meat during the simulated retail display on day six. In conclusion, this study suggested that SAC was more effective in improving growth, enhancing the antioxidant status, depositing Se in muscle, and increasing meat oxidative stability of pigs. Full article

Auricularia cornea var. Li. is an edible fungi and polysaccharides in Auricularia cornea var. Li. may have bioactive activities. Polysaccharides from Auricularia cornea var. Li. (ACP) was extracted using ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) method and compared with hot water extraction (HWE) for extraction yield, extraction rate, purity of polysaccharides, microstructure of residues after extraction, preliminary structure and rheological properties of polysaccharides. Optimum conditions for UAE (particle size of 150–200 mesh, water to raw material ratio of 70:1, extraction temperature at 70 °C for 40 min, ultrasonic amplitude of 40%) and HWE (particle size of 150–200 mesh, water to raw material ratio of 60:1, extraction temperature at 90 °C for 3.0 h) were obtained via single-factor experiment. Under optimum conditions, extraction yield of polysaccharides by UAE was 30.99 ± 1.93% which showed no significant difference with that by HWE (30.35 ± 1.67%) (P > 0.05). Extraction rate (29.29 ± 1.41%) and purity (88.62 ± 2.80%) of polysaccharides by UAE were higher than those by HWE (extraction rate of 24.95 ± 2.78% and purity of 75.33 ± 6.15%) (P < 0.05). Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) images of residues by UAE showed more broken cells than those by HWE. Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectra showed that the dialyzed ACP extracted by HWE and UAE (DACP-HWE and DACP-UAE) had similar characteristic absorption peaks of polysaccharides. Both DACP-HWE and DACP-UAE solutions showed typical shear thinning and temperature-independent behaviors (25–90 °C) and UAE resulted in polysaccharides with remarkably lower viscosity in comparison with HWE. DACP-UAE solutions exhibited more liquid-like state while DACP-HWE solutions solid-like system. Data indicated that ultrasound treatment may be a useful means for extraction of polysaccharides from Auricularia cornea var. Li. Full article