Evaluation of the Antioxidant Properties of Cultivated Edible Mushroom: Agrocybe Aegerita

The antioxidant activity of an edible mushroom Agrocybe aegerita was analysed by testing its methanolic extracts with that of cultivated mushrooms Lentinus edodes and Calocybe species. Results showed predominant activity with respect to all the assays with different chemical systems including reducing power, DPPH free radical scavenging, ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), superoxide scavenging, peroxide scavenging, ferrous ion chelating, total phenolic & flavonoid content. Scavenging effects on 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radicals were moderate to high (66.23-92.27%) at 1.5 mg/ml. Chelating effects on ferrous ions were moderate to excellent (78.41-96.65%) at 20 mg/ml. At 12 mg/ml, the reducing powers were excellent (84.04 – 92.82%). FRAP results were moderate in the range (18.60 – 72.35%) at 12 mg/ml. The ability to scavenge super oxide (% SOD scavenging) was moderate to excellent (26.21-92.32 %) at 20 mg/ml. The total phenols in the extracts ranged from 0.64 – 0.26 at 20 mg/ml. The total flavonoid content in the extracts ranged from 0.307 – 0.055 at 10 mg/ml.