Post by iBET - Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica

[Optimizing Supercritical Fluid Extraction of Cholesterol-lowering Ergosterol from Mushrooms] 🍄Mushrooms are among the richest natural sources of ergosterol (ERG), a bioactive compound with cholesterol-lowering, antioxidant, and antitumor properties.  Here, iBET - Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica scientists studied the synergy between biomass pre-treatment and optimized supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) to obtain ERG-rich extracts. Key findings:  ➡️Optimized SFE produced more concentrated ERG extracts than conventional Soxhlet extraction with n-hexane (increasing 107% for shiitake and 65% for oyster mushrooms);  ➡️Three biomass pre-treatments were evaluated in combination with SFE: ultrasound, microwave and enzymatic;  ➡️Chitinase-based enzymatic pre-treatment improved by 40% the ERG concentration in shiitake extracts. 📰Read the manuscript:  https://lnkd.in/eCpirs9U 🔗Know more about iBET’s Natural Bioactives and Nutraceuticals Area and Technological Platform:  https://lnkd.in/dZFkvJG9  https://lnkd.in/ejQGzuX6 #Ergosterol #Mushroom #NaturalBioactives #SupercriticalFluidExtraction #Nutraceuticals #iBETPublication