Forest Microbiology and Application Division, Department of Forest Bio-resources, NationalInstitute of Forest Science

Strain-dependent differences in phenolic content and antioxidant activity of
Laetiporus cremeiporus mycelia and fruiting bodies
Yeon Jun Jeong*, Ji Min Woo, Aehyeon Nam, Kyoung Tae Lee, and Youngki park
Forest Microbiology and Application Division, Department of Forest Bio-resources, National
Institute of Forest Science, Suwon, Republic of Korea
*Email: 2yeonjun97@korea.kr
Laetiporus sulphureus is an orange-colored fungus belonging to the family Polyporaceae, reported to grow on stumps in Europe, Asia, and North America. These mushrooms have been used for food and are known to possess anticancer, antioxidant, and antibacterial effects due to bioactive compounds such as polysaccharides, triterpenoids, and sesquiterpenoids in their mycelia and fruiting bodies. In particular, Laetiporus cremeiporus, a species native to East Asia, is reported to have antioxidant activity and pharmacological value; however, research remains limited compared to the similar species L. sulphureus. In this study, the phenolic content and antioxidant activities of mycelia and fruiting bodies from five strains of L. cremeiporus (NIFoS 76, 1790, 2277, 2327, and 5790) were analyzed to investigate their functional characteristics. The total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant activities (DPPH and ABTS+ radical scavenging activities) were evaluated. The results showed significant differences in TPC depending on the strain, ranging from 169.0 to 309.6 mg GAE/100 g DW in mycelia and from 139.8 to 175.0 mg GAE/100 g DW in fruiting bodies. Notably, the mycelium of strain 5790 exhibited the highest TPC at 309.6 mg GAE/100 g DW. Meanwhile, the highest DPPH radical scavenging activity (35.3%) was observed in the fruiting body of strain 1790. In contrast, ABTS+ radical scavenging activity was relatively low across all samples, with no significant differences between strains. Overall, mycelia showed higher phenolic content than fruiting bodies, and antioxidant activities varied by strain, suggesting that these findings will serve as fundamental data for developing functional materials.
Keywords: Laetirporus cremeiporus, Strain variation, Mycelium, Fruiting body, Antioxidant activity