Chemical Composition and Antioxidant Properties of Wild Tunisian Edible and Medicinal Mushrooms

Edible and medicinal higher fungi have been used by humankind for millennia. They are collected and used directly not only for their nutritional values as a main source of food or as a part of regular diet but also for their medicinal purpose as source of powerful new bioactive compounds. Many, if not all, Basidiomycetes mushrooms (BMs) contain biologically active compounds in fruit bodies, cultured mycelium and culture broth They had long been used as a folk remedy for promotion of health and longevity in many oriental countries for their important chemical and nutritional characteristics (Kalac, 2012). Actually, BMs are clinically confirmed and constitute a strong base for intensive research and development of basidiomycetes biologically active metabolites (BAMs) such as organic acids, alkaloids, terpenoids, steroids and phenolics BMs are also valuable health food, high in vitamins, minerals, fibers, and nutritive compounds such as protein, essential amino acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Numerous species of wild growing mushrooms are widely consumed as a delicacy in Tunisia. For instance, Ganoderma lucidum (Reishi), Agaricus campestris (Agaricaceae), Tricholoma terreum and Tricholoma equestre are appreciated mushrooms due to their organoleptic, nutritional and pharmacological properties Several studies have reported a number health benefits of these species, such as antioxidant, anti-aging Polysaccharides, essential fatty acids and secondary bioactive compounds are the best known and potent mushroom-derived substances with high values These properties, along with low cytotoxicity, raise the possibility that it could be effective in the cancer patients receiving conventional chemotherapy and/or radiation treatment, to build up immune resistance and decrease toxicity For instance, previous data have demonstrated that G. lucidum polysaccharides stimulated immune function both in vivo and in vitro A. campestris