Biodiversity of Astraeus asiaticus , a wild indigenous edible mushroom, in the forests of Bankura district, West Bengal and its antioxidant property

Abstract

Three forests, Beliatore, Gangajal-ghati (G-ghati), and Joyur, were surveyed for mushroom collection and biodiversity. Mushrooms in the rhizospheric zone of some trees, such as Shorea robusta , Petrocarpus marsupium , Terminalia bellrica , and Madhuca indica , were identified at the molecular level as Asterius asiaticus . Thereafter, the ecological diversity of this mushroom was determined in the forests. The diversity indices of Shorea robusta in the Beliatore, Joypur, and Gangajal-ghati forests were 2.303, 2.178, and 2.36, respectively. Notably, the diversity index of Madhuca indica in the Beliatore and Joypur forests was nearly the same as that in the Gangajal-ghati forest, with a value of 2.29. The total phenolics contents of the hot water, acetone, and hexane extracts of this mushroom were 6.8 ± 0.15, 3.95 ± 0.15, and 2.16 ± 0.26 mg GAE/g, respectively, and the total flavonoid contents were 2.03 ± 0.12, 1.65 ± 0.2, and 1.01 ± 0.08 mg QE/g, respectively. The ascorbic acid contents in the hot water, acetone, and hexane extracts were low. The antioxidant activity of the extracts was determined using the DPPH (1,1-Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) assay. The IC50 values of the hot water, acetone, and hexane extracts were 42.54±1.25c µg/ml, 54.06±1.50b µg/ml, and 82.97±1.58a µg/ml, respectively, while that of the synthetic antioxidant, BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole), was 32.41±1.26d µg/ml. Overall, the hot water extract of this mushroom had the highest antioxidant content and displayed the best radical scavenging power.

Keywords

• mushroom
• biodiversity
• pcr
• antioxidant
• astraeus asiaticus