Volume 1, Issue 4 Date‐released: March 20, 2016

News reports - A Tribute to Dr. Chang, by Mark Wach - The Third Sichuan (Jintang) Edible Fair - In Memory of Professor Gastón Guzmán (1932‐2016), by Solomon P. Wasser Up‐coming events - The 19th ISMS Congress - First Circular of the 9th International Medicinal Conference Research progress Points and Reviews - Problems and Challenges Regarding Ganoderma Products and Why Ganoderma Products Contain Starch. Proceedings of the First Chinese Ganoderma Conference 2015. Keynote Speaker: Professor Shu‐Ting Chang - The Role of Culinary ‐ Medicinal Mushrooms on Human Welfare with a Pyramid Model for Human Health (Part IV), by Shu Ting Chang and Solomon P. Wasser Call for Papers Contact information

Issue Editor‐ Mr. Ziqiang Liu [email protected] Department of Edible Mushrooms, CFNA, 4/ F, Talent International Building No. 80 Guangqumennei Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing 10062, China

News Reports

A Tribute to Dr. Chang by Mark Wach The mushroom industry meeting calendar seems to fill up quickly, with so many worthwhile opportunities to meet with fellow scientists and industry professionals. In August, there is the Symposium on in Brazil, in September the Annual Mushroom Short Course offered by Penn State University in the USA, in November the Chinese Mushroom Day will again be held in Zhangzhou and we are all looking forward to Mushroom Week 2016. But this September, there will be a special meeting honoring a member of our industry, which I will take time to attend and which I believe is worth mentioning.

Professor S.T. Chang was a key member of the ISMS ExCom for many years, and is an Honorary Lifetime member of our Society. With the help of such industry visionaries as Australia’s Mr. Marsh Lawson, Chang opened up China’s mushroom industry to the world and helped us become acquainted with what we affectionately still refer to as the “exotic” mushroom, also known as Shiitake and Oyster and Straw Paddy. The book he co‐edited with Dr. Fred Hayes, “The Biology and Cultivation of Edible Mushrooms” remains a key reference in most mushroom libraries today.

He promoted the concept, long held in Asian countries, which spoke of the medicinal value of mushroom, long before we had studied the complex molecules found in them, such as branched beta glucans, triterpenes and aromatase inhibitors. Perhaps most importantly, he recognized that mushrooms could be used as a means of feeding populations that might otherwise struggle to survive. He traveled the world teaching others that mushrooms were a means by which communities could convert agricultural wastes using simple technologies, into higher value products that could create jobs, generate income and feed families.

Titled the “International Seminar of Dr. S. T. Chang’s Academic Thoughts”, and hosted by his many colleagues in Shanghai, the meeting has been organized on the occasion of Chang’s 85th birthday, and celebrates the achievements of a man who has spent a career integrating mushrooms into the fiber of our society. The seminar intends to gather some of his colleagues from around the world, to review, discuss and expand on the areas of mushroom biology that have been the foundation of his storied career. As an industry we are indebted to Dr. S. T. Chang, for all that he has done to promote the value of our industry throughout the world, and I hope you will join me in wishing him a Happy 85th Birthday.

From Mushroom Business, September 2015 edition 72

The Third Sichuan (Jintang) Edible Mushroom Fair

As we know, Sichuan, a province in southwest of China is a traditional but important province in mushroom cultivation. There has been an increasing huge demand of edible mushroom consumption in this region. To fulfill the aim to serve the development of the national edible mushroom industry, the department of edible mushrooms, CFNA organized the Third Sichuan (Jintang) Edible Mushroom Fair at Jintang Hengda Hotel, Chengdu, Sichuan in March 2016. The fair featured three event parts, including annual meeting of the department of edible mushrooms, CFNA, the conference, and an exhibition of new developed mechanical equipment and technologies for edible mushroom industry. This 3‐day event offered a more spacious and comprehensive communication platform for people from academic institutions, local government, business companies and industry organizations, and thus creating big business opportunities. 23 famous scholars and 15 businessmen, from more than 50 universities, companies or research institutions, were invited to deliver their outstanding and promising points upon the development of the local traditional mushroom industries. More than 80 exhibitors from the mushroom industrial cultivation and equipment also jointed the fair. This fair attracted more than 6000 audiences and visitors in total.

Event highlights The opening ceremony was held on 12 March morning, with the honourable Professor Yu Li, Chair of the International Society for Medicinal Mushrooms, member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Professor Jixia Zhang, Chief scientist of the Chinese national 863 and 973 projects, Professor Qi Tan, Chair of the World society for mushroom biology and mushroom products, as the Guests of Honour.

Several scientific seminars and industrial forums were organized for the conference section to provide the most up‐to‐date technology intelligence and market points of view. They covered a wide range of topics such as development and opportunities of traditional mushroom industry in west of China, industrialized cultivation of the precious rare edible fungi and development of relevant products for leisure and health cultivation, developed bag‐cultivation technologies and artificial cultivation technology for Morel mushrooms.

At the meantime, the 4th international workshop of management and technology for Agricus bisporus cultivation was also organized by L. F. Lambert Spawn Company, Ltd. and the department of edible mushrooms, CFNA. This fair was successfully held after the closing ceremony on the 14, March.

Looking Forward Scientist, businessmen, politicians from the whole country again gathered in Jintang to exchange in their views on advanced technology, industry management, politic support and products marketing. All the information delivered and agreements achieved were expected to be of positive promotion on closing much more business deals for industry in the emerging global mushroom market in the future.

For additional information about the fair, please contact: Mr. Ziqiang Liu

Tel: +86‐10‐8710‐9859, +86‐10‐8710‐9860 Fax: +86‐10‐8710‐9861 E‐mail: [email protected] Or join online communication through QQ or Wechat QQ chat Group number“155950788” Wechat group account“lzqynkm8”

In Memory of Professor Gastón Guzmán (1932‐2016)* by Solomon P. Wasser

Department of Evolutionary and Environmental Biology and Institute of Evolution, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Haifa, 199 Aba Khoushy Ave., Mount Carmel, Haifa, 3498838, Israel, [email protected]

On January 12, 2016, Professor Gastón Guzmán has passed away… One can say without a doubt that Latin America has lost its greatest mycologist.

I personally knew Professor Guzmán for many years. He was truly a great man admired by all who came to know him. I had just met with him last August at the 8th IMMC in Manizales, where I had a pleasure to congratulate him with his birthday. Professor Guzmán was an outstanding scientific specialist in various aspects of , including , biodiversity, ecology, geography, ethnomycology, medicinal value of mushrooms, and he was respected worldwide.

Gastón Guzmán was born on August 26, 1932, in the city of Xalapa, Mexico. In 1951, he started his studies in biology at the National School of Biological Sciences, National Polytechnic Institute in Mexico City. His interest in mycology began in 1955, as a graduate student, he decided to update the poorly maintained collection of fungi of the National Polytechnic Institute. During his first field work in the forests near Mexico City he found a myriad of species about which little was known at the time. This inspired him to declare mushrooms as the topic of his thesis and vowed to someday write a book on Mexican mushrooms.

*In 2006, a special issue dedicated to G. Guzmán 50 years of mycological studies was published (International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms, 2006, 6 (3):201‐213), it included his list of publications.

In 2012, on his 80th jubilee an article devoted to G. Guzmán was published (International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms, 2012, 14 (5):529‐534), where the list of publications from 2006 to 2012 was presented. Thus, here we include only publications of G. Guzmán after 2012.

In 1956, Guzmán met Dr. T. Herrera of the Institute of Biology of the National University of Mexico, the only mycologist at that time specializing in the macromycetes of Mexico. He formed a fruitful friendship with Dr. Herrera, which resulted in getting the field of mycology in Mexico up and running. In 1968, they founded the Mexican Society of Mycology, with Guzmán as Editor of the Society’s bulletin, and later, the Society’s journal for 20 years.

In 1957, after reading R. Gordon Wasson's article "Seeking the Magic Mushroom", Gastón Guzmán was invited to go on an expedition to study neurotropic fungi in the Huautla de Jimenez region, as an assistant to the most famous agaricologist of the second half of the 20th century – Professor Rolf Singer (USA). As Guzmán has rightly said, Professor R. Singer was his first teacher of mycology, especially when it comes to s.l. On the last day of the expedition he met R. Gordon Wasson (USA), a world leader in the study of ethnomycology. This chance meeting resulted in a close friendship between the two men which lasted for over 30 years. Also, years later in that time, Guzmán met Professor Roger Heim from Paris, who was in Mexico with Wasson and Herrera studying the neurotropic fungi.

After accompanying Singer in his trips, Guzmán continued to explore the southeastern and central regions of the country on his own, collecting and studying hallucinogenic fungi, especially species of the genus Psilocybe, and collecting new ethnomycological data. In 1958, he published his first article on the ecology of Psilocybe – the genus previously studied separately by Heim and Singer, and known under two different names. A year later, Guzmán published the first synopsis on the hallucinogenic fungi of Mexico with Singer and Heim.

In 1958, through his Indian contacts, Prof. Guzmán learned about the Aztec word “teotlaquilnanacatl” (which means sacred mushroom), used by indigenous people to describe the hallucinogenic species of Psilocybe, rather than the word “teonanácatl” often cited in the literature (first by Schultes, in 1939).

In 1959, Guzmán presented his thesis on the taxonomy and ecology of Mexican hallucinogenic mushrooms, and was awarded an Honorable Mention. Prof. Guzmán dedicated his thesis to his teacher Rolf Singer, as well as to Wasson, Heim, Schultes, and Teofilo Herrera, all of whom had helped him in conducting his research. He continued with his studies at the National Polytechnic Institute (1963‐1968) pursuing a Doctor of Science degree, and spent some of that period, in 1965, studying under the supervision of Dr. Alexander H. Smith at the University of Michigan (USA). In 1967, he presented his doctoral dissertation: “A monograph of species of the genus Scleroderma on the American continent”. This was later published in Argentina in 1970, as a world monograph on the named genus.

In 1970, Guzmán was awarded a scholarship by the Guggenheim Foundation of New York to carry out a worldwide study of the genus Psilocybe, with the goal of identifying hallucinogenic species and determining their distribution. Before this, in 1969, in Seattle, in a piano‐bar Guzmán met Dr. Richard Evan Schultes, with whom he previously had only correspondence. Later, Schultes would send Guzmán information from the Guggenheim Foundation to apply for a scholarship, and it was with this scholarship that Guzmán carried out his research in South America, USA, Europe, and Japan. This allowed him to publish a world monograph on the genus Psilocybe in 1983. In 1995, he published a supplement to that monograph (Guzmán 1995), and he was preparing the second edition of the monograph.

Among Guzmán’s main contributions to mycology in Latin America, are his tireless work, exploration, and establishing collections of fungi. Professor Guzmán was the one who organized the first mushrooms fair in Mexico in 1977, later he organized more than 100 mushroom fairs in the country, as well as in Guatemala, Panama, and Colombia. As it was said above, in 1955, he founded the Mushroom Collection of the National School of Biological Sciences (ENCB), which exceeds 120.000 specimens and is currently the largest in Mexico. In 1982, he was invited to work at the National Institute for Research on Biotic Resources in Xalapa, Veracuz, where he initiated what is now the second largest collection of fungi in Mexico. This collection (XAL) is currently under stewardship of the Institute of Ecology, A.C., and houses more than 55,000 specimens. Guzmán has contributed to the different mushroom collections maintained by institutions in Mexico and Latin America, as well as to the training of their collectors and curators. Guzmán’s passion for field work has led him to collect and record more than 39,000 mushroom specimens from all over the world, and these are deposited in ENCB and XAL with duplicates in IBUG and MEXU, as well as other herbaria in the USA and Europe. Prof. Guzmán was a consummate teacher and has always been concerned about training young people with strict scientific rigor and an enormous sense of discipline. Throughout his professional life, he has set up and encouraged many research teams in Mexico. He has supervised more than 200 theses dealing with different aspects of mycology. Mexican mycologists, such as Nahara Ayala, Victor Bandala, Santiago Chacón, Joaquín Cifuentes, Alonso Cortés‐Pérez, Laura Guzmán‐Dávalos, José Marmolejo, Daniel Martínez‐Carrera, Gerardo Mata, Rosario Medel, Leticia Montoya, Florencia Ramírez‐Guillén, Dulce Salmones, Ricardo Valenzuela, and Luis Villarreal, among others, have been Guzmán’s students, and although his influence in different national and international institutions has been significant, the research team that best demonstrated his leadership in the field of mycology was the group he brought together in Xalapa, where he was living and working.

In 1990, on the initiative of Guzmán, the Latin America Association of Mycology was founded in Havana, Cuba. Since its creation, this organization has played a very important role in the field. There have been two conferences in Havana (1993 and 1996) and one in Caracas (1999). In 2002, with Guzmán as the president in turn, the fourth conference was held in Xalapa, later, the Fifth Latin American Mycology Conference was held in Brasilia (Brasil), in 2008, the conference took place in Argentina, and the last time it was held in Costa Rica.

Prof. Guzmán was an Honorary Member of the Mexican Society of Mycology, the Botany Society of Mexico, the Latin American Association of Mycology, the Academy of Sciences of Colombia, Baracaldo Mycological Society (Spain), and the Mycological Society of America.

In 2002, the National University of Mexico (UNAM) carried out a study (Michan‐Aguirre and Llorente, 2003) to determine which Mexican scientist had published most widely in taxonomy during the 20th century. Guzmán came in second, after one zoology professor, indicating that in the last century he was the most important taxonomist in mycology in Mexico. Throughout his extensive career, from 1958 to 2016, Guzmán has published more than 400 scientific articles, 16 books, and more than 30 book chapters. Among his most important works, in addition to the book on Psilocybe, were its supplement, the monograph on Scleroderma, and "The Identification of Mushrooms", which was published in 1977. This book was the first to be published in Mexico on macroscopic fungi and continues to be used as a basic text wherever mycology is taught in Mexico. It is also a reference work for Latin American mycologists. Another important book, The Cultivation of Edible Mushrooms", was published in collaboration with several of his students. This was a pioneering effort in Mexico and was very well accepted. Also noteworthy is the book "The Name of Mushrooms and Related Things in Latin America", which has been internationally acclaimed as an encyclopedia of mushrooms. Guzmán has described more than 200 new taxa (genera and species) for Mexico and other parts of the world. This enormous diversity both in the fields of his studies and in the groups of mushrooms he was investigating resulted in the fact that his publications were cited more than 3,000 times in books and journals all over the world. More than half of the known species belonging to the genus Psilocybe were described by Guzmán.

Guzmán has been one of the members of the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms for 17 years, right from its onset in 1999. He was a very diligent and creative reviewer, and the author of many very important papers. He took part in all of the International Medicinal Mushrooms Conferences, since the first one held in 2001 in Kiev (Ukraine).

A cofounder and former president of the Mexican Mycological Society, he has also been president of the Latin American Mycological Association (2000–2002), and was a founding member of the Panamanian Mycological Society. In last years, Prof. Guzmán held an emeritus research chair at the Ecological Institute of Xalapa, where he founded the Department and Herbarium of Fungi. Professor Guzmán has organized interesting scientific lectures and mycological expositions, he was engaged in teaching, prepared articles and books not only in Mexico, but also outside the country. He was also a guide on "Mexican Mushroom Tours”.

In 2001, Guzmán went to a meeting in Nepal, where he explored part of the country collecting interesting mushrooms, publishing in 2010 an article with his student F. Ramírez‐Guillén. In 2010, Guzmán explored the surrounding area of the Research Center of Fungi in Thailand, where he found five new species of the genus Psilocybe (Mycotaxon 119: 65‐81, 2012) and several over interesting mushrooms. Moreover, he also held lectures and presentations in Nepal, Thailand and in Malaysia.

The diversity of Professor Guzmán’s research programs, his scientific, organizational, and pedagogical activities, along with his significant achievements in fungal taxonomy and other fields of mycology, represented him as a scientist of many interests, a brilliant science organizer, and a world scientific leader of the School of Mushroom Biology, whose achievements and accomplishments became incorporated into the world of science.

Professor G. Guzmán was an extraordinary, vibrant man in the broadest sense of the world. Apart from his scientific activities, Guzmán also enjoyed the romantic music, the bohemia, the poetry; he even wrote poems related to the love, life and women. He was married twice, and has three daughters from his first matrimony, among them Laura Guzmán‐Dávalos, an outstanding mycologist of the University of Guadalajara in Mexico.

Guzmán attracted people like a magnet, because of his charm, wit, and erudition. From the first encounter with him, you sensed the warmth of his personality and his outgoing, unconventional nature. Guzmán was not only a creative and gifted scientist, but also an intellectual with a broad education. In 2012, he celebrated his 80th birthday at the peak of his creative activity.

One of his last articles, entitled: "New Studies on Hallucinogenic Mushrooms: History, Diversity, and Applications in Psychiatry" was published in issue No. 11 of International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms (Guzmán, 2015).

For his knowledge, professionalism, dedication, diligence, and warm personality, colleagues and friends of Professor Guzmán will certainly agree with me that he will be dearly missed.

List of publications of Gastón Guzmán 2012‐2016

Articles

Guzmán G. 2012. New taxonomical and ethnomycological observations on Psilocybe s.s. (Fungi, , Agaricomycetidae, Agaricales, Strophariaceae) from Mexico, Africa and Spain. Acta Botánica Mexicana 100: 81‐108.

Ramírez Cruz V., Guzmán G. & Guzmán Dávalos L. 2012. New combinations in the genus Deconica (Fungi, Basidiomycota, Agaricales). Sydowia 64: 217‐219.

Camacho‐Sánchez M., Guzmán G. & Guzmán Dávalos L. 2012. Pleurotus opuntiae (Durieu et Lév.) Sacc. (Higher Basidiomycetes) and other species related to Agave and Opuntia plants in Mexico — Taxonomy, distribution, and applications. International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms 14: 65‐78.

Guzmán G., Ramírez Guillén F., Hyde K.D. & Karunarathna S.C. 2012. Psilocybe s.s. in Thailand: four new species and a review of previously recorded species. Mycotaxon 119: 65‐81.

Guzmán G. & Guzmán Dávalos L. 2013. La maestra Luz María Villarreal de Puga y la Micología de Jalisco, México. Ibugana 4: 89‐95.

Guzmán G., Cortés Pérez J.A. & Ramírez Guillén F. 2013. The Japanese Hallucinogenic Mushrooms Psilocybe and a New Synonym of P. subcaerulipes with Three Asiatic Species Belong to Section Zapotecorum (Higher Basidiomycetes). International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms 15: 607‐615.

Ramírez‐Cruz V., Guzmán G. & Guzmán‐Dávalos L. 2013. Type studies of Psilocybe sensu lato (Strophariaceae, Agaricales). Sydowia 65: 277‐319.

Guzmán G., Cortés Pérez J.A., Guzmán Dávalos L., Ramírez Guillén F. & Sánchez‐Jácome M.D.R. 2013. An emendation of Scleroderma, new records, and review of the known species in Mexico. Revista Mexicana de Biodiversidad. 84 (Supl): 173‐191.

Ramírez Cruz V., Guzmán G., Villalobos‐Arámbula A.R., Rodríguez A., Matheny P.B. & Sánchez‐García M. 2013. Phylogenetic inference and trait evolution of the psychedelic mushroom genus Psilocybe sensu lato (Agaricales). Botany 91: 573‐591.

Santos da Silva P., Ramírez‐Cruz V., Cortés‐Pérez J.A., Guzmán G., Guzmán Dávalos L. & Borges da Silveira R.M. 2013. Deconica neorhombispora (Agaricales, Strophariaceae): new combination and synonym. Sydowia 65: 321‐328.

Gándara E., Guzmán‐Dávalos L., Guzmán G. & Rodríguez O. 2014. Inventario Micobiótico de la región de Tapalpa, Jalisco, México. Acta Botánica Mexicana 107: 165‐185.

Guzmán G. 2014. Análisis del conocimiento de los hongos sagrados entre los mazatecos después de 54 años. Etnoecológica 10: 1‐16.

Cortés‐Pérez, A., Guzmán G. & Ramírez‐Guillén F. 2014. Squamanita umbonata (Fungi, Agaricales, Tricholomataceae), primer registro en México. Acta Botánica Mexicana 108: 105‐111.

Guzmán G., Nixon S.C., Ramírez‐Guillén F. & Cortés‐Pérez A. 2014. Psilocybe s. str. (Agaricales, Strophariaceae) in Africa description of a new species from the Congo. Sydowia 66: 43‐53.

Cortés Pérez J.A., Ramírez Guillén F. & Guzmán G. 2015. Nuevos registros de Mycena Sección Sacchariferae (Basidiomycota) para México. Revista Mexicana de Micología 41: 77‐85.

Pérez‐Pérez R.E. & Guzmán G. 2015. Parmotrema species in a cloud forests region turned into an urban zone in Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico. Bosque 36 (3): 357‐362. DOI: 10.4067/S0717‐92002015000300003

Trejo Aguilar D., Guzmán G., Lara L., Zulueta R.R., Palenzuela J., Sánchez‐Castro I., Alves da Silva G., Sieverding E. & Oehl F. 2015. Morphology and phylogeny of Acaulospora foveata (Glomeromycetes) from Mexico. Sydowia 67: 119‐126. DOI: 10.12905/0380.sydowia67‐2015‐0119

Guzmán G. 2015. New Studies on Hallucinogenic Mushrooms: History, Diversity, and Applications in Psychiatry. International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms 17 (11): 1019‐1029.

Guzmán G. 2016. Las relaciones de los hongos sagrados con el hombre a través del tiempo. Anales de Antropología 50: 134‐147.

Sommerkamp Y, Paz AM, & Guzmán G. Medicinal mushrooms in Guatemala. International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms 18 (1):56‐64.

Books

Guzmán G. 2013. Devastación de los bosques y selvas en México. La urgencia de su conservación. INECOL. Xalapa.

Book chapters

Guzmán G. 2012. Los hongos alucinógenos y su acción sobre el sistema nervioso central. In: Méndez‐Tovar, L.J., R. López‐Martínez & F. Hernández‐Hernández (Eds.). Actualidades en Micología Médica. Sefirot, S.A. de C.V. y UNAM. Pp. 256‐260.

Guzmán G. 2013. Sacred Mushrooms and Man: Diversity and Traditions in the World, with Special Reference to Psilocybe. In: Rush J.A. (Ed.). Entheogens and the Development of Culture. North Atlantic Books. Pp. 485‐518.

Guzmán G. 2014. El uso tradicional de los hongos sagrados: pasado y presente. In: Moreno Fuentes, A. & R. Garibay Orijel (Eds.). La Etnomicología en México. Estado del Arte. Red de Etnoecología y Patrimonio Biocultural (CONACyT), Universidad Autónoma de Estado de Hidalgo, Instituto de Biología (UNAM), Sociedad Mexicana de Micología, Asociación Etnobiológica Mexicana, A.C. Pp. 61‐88.

Guzmán G. 2015. La micología médica en las culturas indígenas pre‐ y post la conquista. In: R. López‐Martínez (Ed.). Historia de la Micología Médica en México. Academia Mexicana de Dermatología, A.C. Pp. 17‐35.

Fig. Professor G. Guzman on 8 International medicinal Mushrooms Conference (Manizales, Colombia, August, 2015).

Up‐coming Events

The 19th ISMS Congress

General information Congress venue Het Muziekgebouw aan het IJ The location, Muziekgebouw aan het IJ is a beautiful building. Apart from being a concert hall boasting wonderful concerts from all over the world it is also a conference center. Muziekgebouw aan ’t IJ is the Netherlands’ most important stage for contemporary music, for classical music as well as for music with a modern twist. The main auditorium is equally well fit for intimate chamber music as well as large orchestras. It is located near the central train station in the new business area of the city. The heart of Amsterdam is just a few minutes away. So you have best of both worlds. The location offers superb conference and banqueting facilities and as we are right on the waterfront you will also experience the real feeling of Amsterdam. Weather permitting, we can enjoy the breaks on the dock!

Address Piet Heinkade 1, 1019 BR Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Working language The working language is English.

Travel to Amsterdam We advise you to book a flight to Schiphol international airport as it is the main Airport of the Netherlands with daily direct connections to over 200 international destinations and vice versa. The distance from Schiphol Airport to Amsterdam city Centre is 25 km. You can take a train from the platform below the arrival hall to Central Station. Tickets can be purchased in the arrival hall. From Central Station, the Muziekgebouw is only a few steps away. You can also take a taxi. Taxis are available at approximately € 50 and it will take about 25 ‐ 30 minutes. Please make sure you use taxis from the official taxi stands only.

Registration Registration fees Delegate Student Early fee, registration and payment received before € 600,00 € 350,00 1 January 2016 Late fee, registration and payment received from € 750,00 € 350,00 1 January 2016

The registration fee includes all congress materials, reception, lunches, refreshment breaks, congress dinners, excursion and accompanying person programme.

Fees are inclusive of 21% VAT which is applicable according to Dutch law and tax regulation.

Register for the congress: https://registrationforms.caos.nl/isms/

First Circular of the 9th International Medicinal Mushrooms Conference

24‐28 September 2017, Palermo, Italy

Theme of the Conference: ADVANCES IN MEDICINAL MUSHROOM SCIENCE: BUILDING BRIDGES BETWEEN WESTERN AND EASTERN MEDICINE

Organized by: University of Palermo, Department of Agricultural and Forest Sciences

International Scientific Committee • Dr. Angela Amazonas (Brazil) • Prof. Marin Berovic (Slovenia) • Prof. Shu‐Ting Chang (Australia/China) • Prof. Peter C.K. Cheung (Hong Kong, China) • Dr. John Holliday (USA) • Prof. Omon S. Isikhuemhen (USA) • Dr. Ivan Jakopovich (Croatia) • Prof. Atef Jaouani (Tunisia) • Prof. Carmenza Jaramillo (Colombia) • Dr. Ha Won Kim (South Korea) • Prof. Yu Li (China) • Prof. Ulrike Lindequist (Germany) • Dr. Hui‐Chen Lo (Chinese Taipei) • Dr. Nadezhda V. Psurtseva (Russia)

• Prof. Mahendra Rai (India) • Prof. Vikineswary Sabaratnam (Malaysia) • Prof. Imed Sbissi (Tunisia) • Dr. Joey Schlaegel (USA) • Dr. Ángel R. Trigos (Mexico) • Prof. Leo J. L. D. Van Griensven (Holland) • Prof. Giuseppe Venturella (Italy) • Prof. Solomon P. Wasser (Israel/Ukraine) • Prof. Georgios I. Zervakis (Greece)

Publishing Committee • Prof. Solomon P. Wasser • Prof. Giuseppe Venturella • Prof. Leo J. L. D. Van Griensven • Dr. Maria Letizia Gargano

Local Organizing Committee • Honorary Chairmen: Prof. Shu‐Ting Chang, Prof. Solomon P. Wasser • Chairman: Prof. Giuseppe Venturella • Secretariat: Dr. Maria Letizia Gargano, Prof. Salvatore Walter Davino • E‐mail: [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

Scientific Program of Conference will Include: 9 Keynote speeches 9 Plenary lectures of invited speakers

Different Symposia Dedicated to: 9 Medicinal mushrooms in social media 9 Biodiversity and taxonomy of medicinal mushrooms 9 Molecular systematics and phylogeny of medicinal mushrooms 9 Medicinal mushrooms: evidence‐based medicine and trials 9 Medicinal mushrooms in animal health 9 Medicinal values and pharmacology of medicinal mushrooms 9 Medicinal mushrooms in human clinical trials 9 Potential values and new developments of medicinal mushroom products 9 Science and biotechnology of medicinal mushrooms 9 Quality control and regulations 9 Industrial production and marketing, technology of cultivation and fermentation

Call for papers We would be pleased to receive contributions from interested authors that follow the conference themes. Abstracts should focus on current issues relevant to progress in research and/or to industry and should be scientific and/or of technical content.

Your abstracts should clearly define the objectives of the presentation or the topics covered, key conclusions reached, and potential benefits for scientific developments and industry. Abstracts should not be more than 500 words but not less than 300.

Abstracts should be sent to IMMC9 ([email protected]) before the 15th of Feruary 2017. Text documents must be in Word or PDF format and written according to the template included in the conference web site.

Important dates and Deadlines March 2016 Opening of the conference website and distribution of first circular 30 May 2016 Return of preliminary registration form and expression of interest 15 June 2016 Opening of registration on line 15 January 2017 Distribution of second circular 15 February 2017 Abstract submission deadline 15 April 2017 Notification to authors of abstract acceptance 30 May 2017 Early bird registration deadline 30 June 2017 Full paper submission deadline 31 July 2017 Closing date for registrations on‐line and accommodation 1 August 2017 Distribution of final scientific program 24 September 2017 Registration desk opens 25‐28 September 2017 IMMC9‐2017

For more information visit www.immc9.com

Research progress

Fruiting Body Production of the Medicinal Chinese Caterpillar Mushroom, Ophiocordyceps sinensis (Ascomycetes), in Artificial Medium Authors: Li Cao, Yunshou Ye, Richou Han Abstract: Ophiocordyceps sinensis (syn. Cordyceps sinensis), regarded as the "Himalayan Viagra", is widely used for medicinal treatment and health foods. The price of O. sinensis has continued to increase over the past few years because of the growing worldwide demand and resource limitations. Artificial cultivation of the fruiting bodies to substitute natural O. sinensis is urgently needed for the effective protection of a valuable bioresource and environment in the Tibetan plateau, and for commercial trade. In this study, the anamorph of 3 isolates was separated from natural O. sinensis and identified by molecular markers as Hirsutella sinensis. These fungal isolates were cultured in a rice‐based medium at 9−13°C for 50 days for mycelial growth, at 4°C for 100 days for stromatal induction, and at 13°C for 40 days for fruiting body formation. The mature fruiting bodies with mature perithecium were harvested in about 140 days. This is, to our knowledge, the first report of stable fruiting body production of O. sinensis by artificial media in the low‐altitude area outside the Tibetan plateau. DOI: 10.1615/IntJMedMushrooms.v17.i11.110

Development and Validation of an LC‐MS/MS Method for the Quantification of Agaritine in Mushrooms Authors: Simon Merdivan, Christoph Willke, Ulrike Lindequist Abstract: Agaritine, an aromatic hydrazine, is found as a secondary metabolite in mushroom species. It is among others suspected to exhibit genotoxic activity. This publication describes the validation of a method for the quantification of agaritine in mushrooms (i.e., extraction and purification by solid phase extraction) and measurement by liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry detection in positive ionization mode. The results show this method to be selective, accurate, and precise. This method could be used for the quality control of pharmaceutical preparations containing mushrooms DOI: 10.1615/IntJMedMushrooms.v18.i1.30

Effect of the Medicinal Mushroom, Grifola gargal (), on Bone Turnover Markers and Serum in Middle‐Aged and Elderly Japanese Women Authors: Etsuko Harada, Toshihiro Morizono, Toshimitsu Sumiya, Hirokazu Kawagishi Abstract: A clinical study was performed to examine the effect of the edible mushroom, Grifola gargal, on bone turnover markers and serum lipids in middle‐aged and elderly Japanese women. Postmenopausal women aged 51−73 years (mean age, 61 years) received daily oral administration of 5 g G. gargal fruiting bodies (hot air‐dried and powdered; G. gargal powder [GGP]). Serum levels of bone alkaline phosphatase (BAP) and lipids and urinary deoxypyridinoline (DPD) levels were measured before and 2 weeks after the start of GGP treatment. As a result, urinary DPD bone resorption marker levels in women treated with GGP decreased significantly. Serum levels of the BAP bone formation marker also tended to increase, but the difference was not significant. By contrast, the atherogenic index decreased and the high‐density lipoprotein (HDL) ratio increased significantly. However, there were no statistically significant differences in serum lipids of total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol. In addition, this study demonstrated for the first time that G. gargal is safe for human consumption. DOI: 10.1615/IntJMedMushrooms.v18.i1.10

Antioxidant Effects of Medicinal Mushrooms Agaricus brasiliensis and Ganoderma lucidum (Higher Basidiomycetes): Evidence from Animal Studies Authors: Borys Yurkiv, Solomon P. Wasser, Eviatar Nevo, Nataliya O. Sybirna Abstract: With diabetes mellitus and increased glucose concentrations, the mitochondria electron transport chain is disrupted, superoxide anions are overproduced, and oxidative stress develops in cells. Thus, preventing oxidative stress can produce a decrease in the antioxidant system activity and an increase in apoptosis in immune cells. The application of medicinal mushrooms is a new possible approach to diabetes mellitus treatment. Therefore, the aim of this work was to investigate the influence of administration of the medicinal mushrooms Agaricus brasiliensis and Ganoderma lucidum on antioxidant enzyme activity in rat leukocytes. Wistar outbred white rats were used in the study. Streptozotocin was intraperitoneally injected once at a dose of 50 mg/kg body weight. Mushroom preparations were orally administered at a dose of 1 g/kg/day for 2 weeks. This revealed that in diabetes mellitus, the level of antioxidant enzyme activity is significantly decreased compared with control values, whereas the levels of peroxidation is increased; this manifested in an increase in the amount of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS). The medicinal mushrooms' administration is accompanied by an increase in antioxidant enzyme activity to control values and is even higher in the case of A. brasiliensis administration when compared with the diabetic group. As for the indicators of lipid peroxidation under mushroom administration of A. brasiliensis and G. lucidum, we observed a significant decrease of TBARS levels compared with the diabetic group. Increased activity of antioxidant enzymes and reduction of TBARS level indicate pronounced antioxidant properties of studied mushrooms. DOI: 10.1615/IntJMedMushrooms.v17.i3.70

Contents and Antioxidant Activities of Polysaccharides in 14 Wild Mushroom Species from the Forest of Northeastern China Authors: Lijian Xu, Qinggui Wang, Guiqiang Wang, Jian‐Yong Wu Abstract: This study aimed to evaluate the polysaccharide contents and antioxidant activities of 14 important wild mushroom species in the Lesser Khingan Range Forest of northeastern China. The fungal species were identified by morphology and DNA matching, belonging to six families: Polyporaceae (four species), Tricholomataceae (three), Russulaceae (three), Lepiotaceae (two), Lycoperdaceae (one), and Paxillaceae (one). Polysaccharides were isolated and partially purified from the water extract of each m ushroom by ethanol precipitation, deproteinization, and dialysis. Antioxidant activities of the mushroom polysaccharides were found to vary with both the species and the assay methods, and the highest three were from utriformis (535.8 μmol trolox/g), mastoidea (378.6), and Armillaria ostoyae (329.1) in radical scavenging; H. utriformis (5.94 mmol Fe/g), Lepista nuda (4.65), and A. ostoyae (4.42) in reducing power; and Armillariela cepistipes (484.6 μmol Fe2+/g), H. utriformis (274.8), and M. mastoidea (202.5) in Fe2+ chelating. Several of the polysaccharides showed notable anti‐tyrosinase activities, and that of Chroogomphus rutilus was the most potent with an IC50 of 0.46 mg/ml. These wild mushrooms can be useful sources of polysaccharides as potential antioxidants and tyrosinase inhibitors. This is the first systematic study on the wild mushroom species, as well as their polysaccharide contents and biological activities, from this forest. DOI: 10.1615/IntJMedMushrooms.v17.i12.60

The Shaggy Ink Cap Medicinal Mushroom, Coprinus comatus (Higher Basidiomycetes) Extract Induces Apoptosis in Ovarian Cancer Cells via Extrinsic and Intrinsic Apoptotic Pathways Authors: Amal Rouhana‐Toubi, Solomon P. Wasser, Fuad Fares Abstract: In a previous study, ethyl acetate extract of Coprinus comatus was found to reduce viability of human ovarian cancer cells. The objective of the current research was to clarify the mechanism of action of this extract. Ovarian cancer cells (ES‐2) were subjected to ethyl acetate extract of C. comatus for different concentrations or exposure times. Cell cycle analysis and annexin V staining were performed using an automated flow cytometer. DNA fragmentation was detected using the TUNEL assay. Western blot analysis was performed for the assessment of activation of caspases ‐3, ‐8, and ‐9. Results revealed that treatment of ES‐2 cells with ethyl acetate extract of C. comatus (100 μg/ml medium), for 48 h or for 72 h resulted in an increased number of cells at the sub‐G1 phase of the cell cycle. These treatments also resulted in an increased number of apoptotic cells (positively stained by annexin and positively labeled by TUNEL), in comparison to the control. Reduced levels of procaspases ‐3, ‐8, and‐9 were also detected in treated cells. In conclusion, ethyl acetate extract of C. comatus induces apoptosis in ovarian cancer cells (ES‐2), via both extrinsic and intrinsic pathways. Meanwhile, more investigations are needed to demonstrate weather the apoptotic effect on ovarian cancer cells is accomplished by one active compound, or combined activities of different compounds that exist in the extract. DOI: 10.1615/IntJMedMushrooms.v17.i12.20

Points and Reviews

Problems and Challenges Regarding Ganoderma Products and Why Ganoderma

Products Contain Starch.

Proceedings of the First Chinese Ganoderma Conference 2015 Keynote Speaker: Professor Shu‐Ting Chang

Ganoderma (Lingzhi or Reishi) products are booming, however, Professor S.T. Chang questions, what are real Ganoderma products? While the Chinese Ganoderma industry focuses on breaking the cell wall of Ganoderma , Professor Chang emphasizes that the fruit body of Ganoderma is the part that has medicinal values. “What is a Ganoderma and what are the benefits of breaking the cell walls of spores?” he asked. While Ganoderma manufacturers invest heavily in marketing, he suggests investing in research and focusing on solving problems. When he encouraged the industry to make outstanding Ganoderma products like Coca‐Cola in the soft drink industry, he really anticipated that the industry would work on quality assurance rather than on producing a world‐renowned brand of Ganoderma. The internationally renowned mushroom scientist’s speech awoke many people in the Ganoderma field at the First Chinese Ganoderma Conference in the mid‐August of 2015, right before his eighty‐fifth birthday.

By rough estimation, the market value of medicinal mushrooms reached up to 18 billion US dollars last year (2014) worldwide, with the portion of just Ganoderma and Cordyceps products being 4 to 10 billion US dollars. At the seemingly prosperous of the Ganoderma industry, Professor S.T. Chang gave a keynote speech on "Problems and Challenges of Ganoderma Products" at the First Chinese Ganoderma Conference in 2015. Professor Chang is a distinguished international mushroom scientist and an Emeritus Professor from the Department of Biology at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. In his speech, Professor Chang asked fundamental questions, “What are medicinal mushrooms? What are real Ganoderma products?”

The packages of Ganoderma products on the market usually have “Ganoderma” labels and images of Ganoderma fruit bodies. However, the contents of the boxes are actually variable, including fruit body extracts, spore powder, broken spores and mycelia (actually the mixture of mycelia and the culture substrate), etc. So are they equal to the Ganoderma fruit bodies shown on the packages?

Why Do Ganoderma Products Contain Starch?

Recently discussions also arose in the U.S. on the definition of medicinal mushrooms and the purity of medicinal mushroom products. Professor S.T. Chang referred to Jeff Chilton’s paper published in 2015 entitled "Redefining Medicinal Mushrooms: A New Scientific Screening Program for Active Compounds". The paper reported his research which analyzed one hundred medicinal mushroom products on the US market by using the starch content as an index of adulteration. The results showed that the products made of fruit bodies or extracted from fruit bodies contain as high as 30‐40% β‐ glucan (the unique medicinal mushroom polysaccharides), with little or no detectible starch. In contrast, the products made of mycelia, which are fermented with grain as a culture substrate, contain a lot of starch but little or barely any β‐glucan.

The samples tested in the research include eleven Ganoderma products in the U.S. market. Three of them were made of Ganoderma fruit bodies, and the other eight products were made of mycelia which were produced with grain as a culture substrate. The test result of these eleven products also showed that β‐glucan is about 25‐30% in fruit body products and only about 1‐13% in mycelia products; and starch in fruit body products is no more than 1%, but up to 50% in mycelia products (shown in the figure below).

It is well known that the biologically active components in Ganoderma are mainly β‐glucan (polysaccharide), triterpenoids and ergosterol. Professor Chang said, “ I do not understand why there is starch in the Ganoderma products. Ganoderma and other medicinal mushroom themselves do not contain starch.” He was very confused even though he studies medicinal mushrooms in detail. What is the problem? The problem is that mycelia, the raw material of mycelia products, are cultured with grain as a culture substrate. The mycelia together with the culture substrate are dried and ground into a powder. Therefore, these mycelia products contain a lot of starch from grains. This is also the reason these mycelia products can be sold at a very low price.

Professor S.T. Chang said that the owner of a US company mentioned this situation to him a few years ago. The person did not like mycelia products with a low price, because his company invested a lot to culture and extract fruit bodies and the price of his products are relatively higher. However, consumers cannot distinguish different Ganoderma products. All the products are called "Ganoderma" with Ganoderma fruit body images printed on the packages, even though the raw material of mycelia products does not contain fruit bodies at all.

Three different Ganoderma lucidum (Mushroom) products and eight different mycelium (Mycelium) products.

Product contents of β‐glucan (Beta‐glucan) and starch (Starch). Percent of dry weight. Jeff Chilton, 2015.

Redefining Medicinal Mushrooms: A new scientific screening program for active compounds. www.nammex.com

Professor S.T. Chang then asked the person whether mycelia products have any beneficial effects on human health. He said that consumers were not able to tell! Why is that? It is because the mycelia products may be not harmful and only provide placebo effects, just like vitamin B and vitamin C that doctors prescribe to patients with a cold.

Besides Ganoderma, all fungal medicinal products have the same problem – the quality of products varies while the market is booming. Thus the U.S. FDA (Food and Drug Administration) began to regulate medicinal mushroom products. Professor S.T. Chang kindly reminded people from the Ganoderma industry in the audience, “This is why I want to ask this question today. If you want to sell your Ganoderma products on the international market, sooner or later someone will ask what your product is?"

Fruit Body, Mycelium, and Spore Are Three Different Concepts.

So, what on earth are medicinal mushrooms? What is Ganoderma? Professor Chang taught us some basics. In biology classification, medicinal is classified as "Basidiomycota" fungi. All the edible and medicinal mushrooms we know belong to Basidiomycetes and Ascomycetes, including Ganoderma lucidum, Cordyceps sinensis, shiitake mushroom, white mushroom, black fungus and others.

Basidiomycetes are mainly composed of thee parts including spores, mycelia, and mushrooms. These three parts belong to different concepts: fungus spores are the germ cell of fungus (spores are completely different from seeds of plants. See more explanation in detail later); mycelium is the structural organization of fungal organisms; and mushroom is the fruit body."

Therefore, Professor S.T. Chang emphasized, “Ganoderma mycelia or Lingzhi mycelia is the correct expression, whereas Ganoderma mushroom mycelia or Lingzhi mushroom mycelia is not correct because the later includes two separate concepts.” Since mushroom refers to the fruit body, a mushroom product refers to the product made of fruit bodies instead of the mycelia or spore powder. Therefore, the products made of mycelia or spores should be named not only with the word "Ganoderma", but also with a clear statement of mycelia or fungus spore powder. The mycelia and the spore powder products should not have Ganoderma fruit body images on the packages.

US FDA Regulations on The Fruit Body Products and Mycelia Products.

Since mycelium is distinct from fruit body, US FDA states that medicinal mushroom mycelia cultured using acceptable substrates can be used as food. However, the label on the package should clarify that the product contains mycelia, instead of implying that it is made of mushroom fruit bodies.

Professor S.T. Chang used mushroom soup as an example. He said that consumers will take it for granted that the mushrom soup is soup made of mushroom fruit bodies. If the product is claimed to be a mushroom soup, it has to be made of mushroom fruit bodies. If the product contains mycelia, the name mushroom soup cannot be used. Moreover, the ingredients should be clearly stated on the package. Otherwise, it is misleading to consumers, which is not allowed by FDA.

Ganoderma and other medicinal mushroom fruiting bodies. The cell wall contains a lot of active ingredients comprising: anti‐tumor and antioxidant activity of ergosterol; promotion of gastrointestinal digestion with chitin; beta‐(1‐3)‐glucans stimulate immune and prebiotic activity; they enrich the value of fruiting bodies. Jeff Chilton, 2015. "Redefining Medicinal Mushrooms: A new scientific screening program for active compounds”

The Medicinal Value of Fruit Bodies Has Been Confirmed. The Medicinal Value of Spores Has Yet To Be Proved.

From the medicinal value perspective, basidiomycete mycelia produced using grain as culture substrate contain a small amount of β‐glucan, a large amount of starch and a small amount of secondary metabolites, including triterpenoids, sterols etc. In contrast, fruit bodies contain a lot of secondary metabolites as well as plenty of β‐glucan.

Besides the well known active components triterpenoids and polysaccharides, ergosterol, a type of sterol from fruit body cell walls, has also proved to have antitumor and antioxidant activity. Chitin, also a component of fruit body cell walls, is a food fiber and it can promote gastrointestinal digestion. βeta‐(1,3)‐glucan, the cell wall structural component of fruit bodies, has immune activity and can also stimulate the growth of prebiotics.

Therefore, Professor S.T. Chang said that the fruit body is the truly comprehensive biological stage of basidiomycetes and the Ganoderma fruit bodies have the real medicinal value.

How about spores that are very popular in China?

In this regard, Professor S.T. Chang said that the medicinal value of Ganoderma spore products are not yet clear although more and more studies showed the bioactivity of Ganoderma spores. However, the market price of spore products are higher than the fruit body products. What on earth are the benefits of spores? What is the difference between spores and fruit bodies in terms of chemical components and usage? The industry should address these questions and be responsible to consumers.

Spores Are Not Seeds!

It should be noted in particular that spores are not seeds! Professor S.T. Chang said spore is a type of reproductive cell. A proper analogy for spore is pollen, animal sperm or egg. Just as an egg or a sperm cannot produce a baby, only a fertilized egg can produce a progeny.

Ganoderma spore has a gender, and its gender is more complicated than a human’s. Ganoderma cannot be reproduced until spores of four different genders are mated with each other. It has been written in many books that spores are the seeds or the essence of Ganoderma. S.T. Chang said, “I really don’t agree with it. Please correct this impression and do not mislead the next generation.”

Professor S.T. Chang also thinks the introduction of mycelia in textbooks is not adequate. Spores sprout out and give rise to primary mycelia. Primary mycelia mate and produce secondary mycelia and further develop into tertiary mycelia. However, the term of tertiary mycelia is not included in many text books. We need to improve the education on the knowledge of Ganoderma.

The Quality of Ganoderma Is Impacted by the Unique Feature of the Culturing Environment. To Ensure the Quality, the Ganoderma Strain and the Culture Formula Need to Be Fixed.

There are still big differences in quality among Ganoderma products although they are all made of fruit bodies. Professor S.T. Chang cited the study results he published in Bonn, Germany, in 2008 (at the Sixth International Conference of Edible Mushroom Biology and Products). In this study, eleven Ganoderma products in the Hong Kong market were analyzed. The result showed the percentages of triterpenoids and polysaccharide, the two main active components, are quite different in each product (shown in the table below).

Table 1 Product Type Triterpenes % Polysaccharide % A (fruiting body extract) 1.36 4.48 B(fruiting body extract) 2.36 5.32 C(fruiting body extract) 1.88 15.70 D(fruiting body extract) 1.06 10.97 E(fruiting body extract) 0.44 7.51 F(fruiting body extract) 1.78 6.18 G(fruiting body extract) 1.44 13.30 H(fruiting body extract) 0.50 15.80 I(fruiting body extract) 7.82 7.66 J(fruiting body extract) 0.46 1.10 K (mycelium powder) Undetectable 12.78

Source: S. Chang T, Buswell JA Safety, quality Control and regulational Aspects Relating to Mushroom Nutriceuticals. Proc 6th Intl Conf

Mushroom Biology and Mushroom Products 2008: 188‐95 Gamu Gmbh, Krefeld, Germany.

The difference is caused by Ganoderma strains, culture conditions, and processing techniques. To ensure the product quality, manufacturers should have their own manufacturing bases and a stable supply of raw material. The chemical components of Ganoderma will certainly vary if the strains are different. Moreover, the culture method has to be standardized. The mushrooms cultured with straw taste different from the ones cultured with soils. The chemical components of mushrooms are different because the mushrooms acquire different nutrition from the culture substrate. Dr. S.T. Chang brought this long standing problem to people’s attention again.

Professor S.T. Chang emphasized that large companies should take the lead to ensure the quality of their products by screening Ganoderma strains suitable to grow at their own manufacturing bases. The same strain may grow well at place A, but not at place B. Why? Mushrooms are living organisms, just like other crops. The characteristics of living things can vary due to the change of culturing environment. For instance, we can grow Japanese peaches in China, but the peach is not as sweet as the ones produced in Japan.

He also mentioned his own experiment as an example. He did a test on Shiitake mushroom strains with another professor. They tested different formulas of culture substrate for the same strain of shiitake. The shiitake that grew well with substrate A last year could not grow well the following year, because the culture substrate was changed.

Dr. S.T. Chang emphasized that the mushroom strain and the culture formula have to be controlled to ensure the product quality. He even encouraged all the manufacturers in China to produce Ganoderma products of Coca‐Cola grade. What does this mean? The Coca‐Cola you drink tastes the same, no matter where you are; in US, Europe, China or any other place in the world. This is quality assurance, and it is the only way to win the customers’ trust.

Are There Any Risks to Take Ganoderma Products during Chemotherapy?

In addition to the product quality issue of Ganoderma products, the application of Ganoderma products also has to be clarified. Dr. S.T. Chang mentioned an announcement from Washington, USA, on May 7th, 2015. The Sloan Kettering Memorial Hospital declared that Ganoderma products should not be taken during chemotherapy treatment, because they can increase the risk of bleeding.

Professor S.T. Chang said he was very shocked. A lot of Ganoderma products are used as a supplement by cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy and radiation therapy to help restore white blood cells and continue the next course of therapy. It would be a big challenge for Ganoderma products if they were found to be ineffective. An email was sent to the editor‐in‐chief of the International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms to ask Professor S.T. Chang to write to his Chinese friends in order to validate whether such a risk exists.

Professor S.T. Chang wrote four letters in total. However, only one reply was received and it did not answer his doubts.

[Editor's note] Professor Zhi‐bin Lin from Peking University heard about this issue. He said previous clinical studies from Queen Mary Hospital in Hong Kong showed that Ganoderma does not cause clotting problems or abnormal bleeding. The results of this study was officially published in an international journal. For more details, please refer to the original article or its Chinese translation.

Invest in Research to Solve Problems.

The problems and challenges that the Ganderma industry faces may be greater than we can imagine. Dr. S.T. Chang called for help from big companies. He said that Ganoderma production is not a small industry any more. Instead of spending more energy on marketing, he thinks the big companies, especially some multinational corporations, should set up a fixed budget or invest a certain amount of profits on research every year. The investment is only a small amount of money to the big companies, but it is sufficient to solve a lot of big problems.

Let’s assume that company A could support two qualified research institutes each year and two doctoral dissertations would be produced from each institute. If company B did this as well, there would be eight doctoral dissertations on eight research topics in total. In this regard, at least eight problems would be solved in four years.

Of course, research should address common problems. For instance, what are the benefits of Ganoderma spores and whether the spores should be broken or stay untouched. All these questions need to be answered with scientific evidence.

Speaking of these problems, Dr. S.T. Chang thinks the Chinese do not pay enough attention to science. A product has to be proven effective before it can be produced in other countries. However it does not work this way in China. People will follow immediately when someone proposes to produce Ganoderma products, no matter whether the proposal is valid or not.

The problem regarding whether the Ganoderma spores walls should be broken or not is an example. The cost to break spore walls is high. However we don’t know whether the broken spores could become harmful when the unsaturated fatty acids turn into the saturated fatty acids. Moreover, vitamin E needs to be used in order to prevent oxidation after spore walls are broken. What on earth are the benefits to break the spore walls?

Many in the audience are fond of Ganoderma broken spores. Probably only professors with high reputations like Professor S.T. Chang dare to speak these thoughts. Hopefully the problem regarding whether the spore walls should be broken or not would be resolved scientifically when the next conference is held. What is more important is the determination of the Ganoderma industry. The Ganoderma of Coca‐Cola grade is just a dream which will never come true, if people choose to be blind to the truth after discovering the truth.

Professor S.T. Chang’s Biography

Shu‐ting Chang was born in 1930 in Shanxi, China. He graduated from the Department of Agronomy at the National Taiwan University in 1953 and afterwards studied abroad in the USA. He obtained a Master of Science degree in 1958 and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in 1960 at the University of Wisconsin. In 1958, he was invited to teach in the Department of Biology at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. He retired in 1995 and received an honorary professorship the same year. In 2012, he received the award of Honorary Fellow of the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Professor S.T. Chang has devoted himself to the study of mushroom biology since the 1960’s. Because of his impact, international mushroom conferences started to be held in China. Upon his urging, medicinal mushrooms became the focus of discussion at the international conferences where previously only edible mushrooms were discussed. In 2005, Professor S.T. Chang was named the Father of Medicinal Mushroom at the Third International Medicinal Mushroom Conference, in recognition of his contributions to the promotion of medicinal mushrooms. Further facts about Professor S.T. Chang can be found in the following.

1. Wikipedia ── Shu‐Ting Chang 2. Interview with Professor Shu‐Ting Chang: small mushroom big family

Further Reading

1. The "First Chinese Ganoderma Conference" was held to solve problems and it ended successfully in Longquan!

Whether Chinese Ganoderma industry can successfully transform, a view from the Ganoderma manufacturer’s efforts on research.

2. The First Chinese Ganoderma Conference Proceedings 2015. The most strict new "People's Republic of China Food Safety Law" will be in effect since October 1st. Which regulations are related to Ganoderma products?

3. The First Chinese Ganoderma Conference Proceedings 2015. Dr. Jinsong Chang’s presentation. The most important issues need to be addressed for the Ganoderma industry transformation– strains, cultivation, processing, standardization, and marketing legalization (Traditional Chinese).

4. Note, the Fifth International Conference of medicinal mushroom 2009 –Ganoderma, the top choice of health safeguard.

(Thanks to Professor S.T. Chang for reviewing the report). Reported and photographed by Ting Yao Wu.

The Role of Culinary‐Medicinal Mushrooms on Human Welfare with a Pyramid Model for Human Health (Part IV) by Shu Ting Chang1* & Solomon P. Wasser2

1Centre for International Services to Mushroom Biotechnology, Department of Biology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, SAR, China; 2International Center for Biotechnology and Biodiversity of Fungi, Institute of Evolution, and Department of Evolutionary and Environmental Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel; N.G. Kholodny Institute of Botany, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kiev, Ukraine *Address all correspondence to: S. T. Chang, 3 Britton Place, Mckellar, A.C.T. 2617 Australia; [email protected].

ABSTRACT: Mushrooms are part of fungal biota characterized by wonder. They growfrom lignocellulosic wastes: yet they become so bountiful and nourishing. Mushrooms are environmentally friendly. They biosynthesize their own food from agricultural crop residues, which would otherwise cause health hazards. The extant records show the continued use of some mushrooms, e.g., Lentinus edodes, Ganoderma lucidum, and Cordyceps sinensis, all of which are now centuries old. This review presents a pyramid model for mushroom uses (industries), as food, dietary supplements (tonic), and medicine. A regular intake of mushrooms can make us healthier, fitter, and happier, and help us to live longer. The sense of purpose and vision for the mushroom industries is also briefly discussed. A variety of mushrooms have been used traditionally in many different cultures for the maintenance of health and in the prevention and treatment of various diseases. A total of 126 medicinal functions are thought to be produced by medicinal mushrooms (MM) and fungi, including antitumor, immunomodulating, antioxidant, radical scavenging, cardiovascular, anti‐hypercholesterolemia, antiviral, antibacterial, anti‐parasitic, antifungal, detoxification, hepatoprotective, and anti‐diabetic effects. Special attention is paid to mushroom polysaccharides. Many, if not all, higher Basidiomycetes mushrooms contain biologically active polysaccharides in fruit bodies, cultured mycelium, and cultured broth. The data on mushroom polysaccharides are summarized for approximately 700 species of higher Hetero‐ and Homobasidiomycetes. In particular, the most important for modern medicine are polysaccharides with antitumor and immunostimulating properties. Several of the mushroom polysaccharide compounds have already gone through phase I, II, and III clinical trials and are used extensively and successfully as drugs in Asia to treat various cancers and other diseases. Mushrooms are superior sources of different types of dietary supplements (DSs) (tonics). The advantages of using mushroom‐based DSs as a matter of safety (as opposed to herbal preparations) are: (1) The overwhelming majority of mushrooms used for production of DSs are cultivated commercially (and not gathered in the wild). (2) Mushrooms are easily propagated vegetatively and thus keep to one clone. The mycelium can be stored for a long time, and the genetic and biochemical consistency can be checked after a considerable time. (3) The main advantage, in our opinion, is that many mushrooms are capable of growing in the form of mycelial biomass in submerged cultures. In this review, we discuss legal and regulatory issues introducing and controlling DSs from MMs in different countries, including the United States, the European Community, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and P.R. China, and guidelines of the World Health Organization. One of the targets of the present review is also to draw attention to many critically important unsolved problems in the future development of medicinal mushroom science in the 21st century.

KEY WORDS: medicinal mushrooms, mushroom industrial uses, dietary supplements (tonics), mushroom medicine, botanical drugs, edible, inedible, hallucinogenic, poisonous, mushroom products, polysaccharides, polysaccharide‐protein complexes, beta‐glucans, antitumor, immunomodulator activity, macrophages, Ganoderma lucidum, Lentinus edodes, Trametes versicolor, Cordyceps sinensis

ABBREVIATIONS: ADoHA: Australian Department of Health and Ageing; AHCC: active hexose correlated compound; AHPA: American Herbal Products Association; AIDS: acquired immune deficiency syndrome; ANZFA: Australia New Zealand Food Authority; BRMs: biological response modifiers; CAPE: caffeic acid phenethyl ester; COX: cyclooxigenase; CRN: Council for Responsible Nutrition; Dectin‐1: dendritic‐cell‐associated C‐type lectin‐1; Dectin‐2: DC‐associated C‐type lectin 2; DS: dietary supplement; DSHEA: Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act; EC: European Commission; ELISA: enzyme‐linked immunosorbant assay; EU: European Union; FAO: Food and Agriculture Organization; FDA: Food and Drug Administration; FHC: Food with Health Claims; FNFC: Foods with Nutrient Function Claims; FOSDU: Food for Special Dietary Uses; FSANZ: Food Standards Australia New Zealand; FTC: Federal Trade Commission; FW: fresh weight; GMO: Genetically Modified Organism; GMP: Good Manufacturing Practices; GRAS: Generally Recognized as Safe; HIV: human immunodeficiency virus; HPLC: high‐performance liquid chromatography; IADSA: International Alliance of Dietary/Food Supplement Associations; IJMM: the International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms; IMMC: the International Medicinal Mushroom Conference; ISMS: The International Society of Mushroom Science; IWEMM: The International Workshops on Edible Mycorrhizal Mushrooms; IκBα: inhibitory proteins kappa B; iNOS: inducible nitric oxide synthase; IP: intellectual properties; MM: medicinal mushrooms; NF‐κB: nuclear factor kappa B; NK cells: natural killer cells; NIH: National Institutes of Health; NLEA: Nutrition Labeling and

Education Act; NNFA: Nutritional Foods Association; NZDSR: New Zealand Dietary Supplements Regulations; NZFSA: The New Zealand Food Safety Authority; ODS: Office of Dietary Supplements; OTC: over the counter; QHC: qualified health claims; PCR: polymerase chain reaction; RT‐PCR: reverse PCR; RDA: recommended daily allowance; SF: “Structure/Function”; SSA: significant scientific agreement; TCM: traditional Chinese medicine; TGA: Therapeutic Goods Administration; TLC: thin‐layer chromatography; WHO: World Health Organization; WSMBMP: The World Society for Mushroom Biology and Mushroom Products; WTO: World Trade Organization.

V. MUSHROOMS AS A FOOD

Although mushrooms have been used as a staple food in the diet of some cultures and were also known to provide nutrition during times of famine, edible mushrooms are usually considered only for their flavor and condiment value. Varying opinions have been expressed regarding the true nutritive value of edible mushrooms.30 Since the early 1970s, a considerable number of definitive studies conducted by competent nutritionists and mushroom scientists have become available. Most of the data on the nutritional contribution as well as medicinal effects of mushrooms to the human diet and health have been published. The true nutritive value of mushrooms has rapidly become known and recognized not only by mushroom researchers and farmers but also by the general public. Experimental data have been presented at international conferences, particular in the four big mushroom bodies/organizations as mentioned above, and scientific papers published in various international scientific journals, which all demonstrated that edible mushrooms contain not only high nutritional values but also show medicinal effects. Several comprehensive reviews of the nutritional value of mushrooms have been presented.30‐32

The moisture content of fresh edible mushrooms varies from 70% to 95%, depending upon the harvest time and environmental conditions, whereas it is only about 10% to 13% in dried mushrooms. The protein content of the cultivated edible species ranges from 1.75% to 5.9% of their fresh weight. It has been estimated that an average value of 3.5%‐4% would be more representative. This means that the protein content of edible mushrooms, in general, is about twice that of the onion (1.4%) and cabbage (1.4%), and four times and twelve times those of oranges (1.0%) and apples (0.3%), respectively. In comparison, the protein content of common meats is as follows: pork, 9%‐16%; beef, 12%‐20%; chicken, 18%‐20%; fish, 18%‐20%; and milk, 25.2%. On a dry‐weight basis, mushrooms normally contain 19%‐35% protein, as compared to 7.3% in rice, 12.7% in wheat, 38.1% in soybean, and 9.4% in corn. Therefore, in terms of the amount of crude protein, mushrooms rank below animal meats, but well above most other foods, including milk, which is an animal product. Furthermore, mushroom protein contains all nine essential amino acids required by humans. In addition to their good protein, mushrooms are also a relatively good source of the following individual nutrients: fat, phosphorus, iron, and vitamins including thiamine, riboflavin, ascorbic acid, ergosterine, and niacin. They are low in calories, carbohydrates, and calcium.4 It has been reported33 that a total lipid content varying between 0.6% and 3.1% of dry weight was found in the commonly cultivated mushrooms. At least 72% of the total fatty acids were found to be unsaturated in all these mushrooms. Unsaturated fatty acids are essential and significant in our diet and to our health. Mushrooms have a nucleic acid content low enough to allow regular consumption as a form of vegetable.34 Generally, edible mushrooms possess all three properties of food‐nutrition, taste, and physiological functions.

For the first property (i.e., nutritional value), mushrooms are: rich in proteins, chitin (dietary fibers), vitamins, and minerals; low in total fat but with a high proportion of unsaturated fatty acids, and have no cholesterols. Regarding the beneficial nutritional effects of mushrooms, the following facts should be noted:

Mushrooms have a low energy level, which is beneficial for weight reduction.

Mushrooms have significant levels of purine, which is beneficial for the diet of persons suffering from metabolic diseases (e.g., gout, rheumatism).

Mushrooms have a low glucose level, and more mannitol, which is especially beneficial for diabetics.

Mushrooms have a very low sodium concentration, which is beneficial for the diet of persons suffering from high blood pressure.

Mushrooms have a high content of several key vitamins, which is an important orthomolecular aspect. This means that a significant part of the daily requirement of different essential vitamins can be covered by consuming mushrooms.

Mushrooms have a high content of potassium and phosphorus, which is an important orthomolecular aspect as well. Finally, mushrooms have a high content of selenium, which is regarded as an excellent antioxidant.35

For the second property, taste, mushrooms serve as a delicious foodstuff, and also as a source of food flavoring substances (because of their unique flavors). In addition to the volatile eight‐carbon compounds, the typical mushroom flavor consists of water‐soluble taste components such as soluble sugars, polyols, organic acids, free amino acids, and free 5'‐nucleotides.

For the third property (i.e., of physiological functions), mushrooms contain several physiologically active substances, including high‐molecular‐weight polysaccharides (mainly β‐D‐glucans), heteroglucans, chitinous substances, peptidoglucans, proteoglucans, lectins, RNA components, dietary fiber; and low‐molecular‐weight organic substances, such as terpenoids, steroids, and novel phenols. Therefore, overall, mushrooms are a valuable health food in modern society.

As for tonic and herbal medicinal values, there is a history of empirical observations relating to the beneficial effects of mushrooms on a wide range of human ailments. In recent years, there has been a huge upsurge of interest in mushrooms as a source of new compounds capable of improving biological functions, and in activities related to the use of mushroom products as dietary supplements and for other medicinal purposes.36 Moreover, the application of modern analytical techniques provides scientific data in support of earlier empirical observations. There is growing experimentally based evidence to suggest that the consumption of mushrooms as a functional food, or the use of extracted bioactive compounds as dietary supplements, increases resistance to disease and, in some cases, causes regression of a diseased state. In many cases, these practices appear to enhance the immune response of the human body, which is thought to be weakened as a result of exposure to increasing levels of stress caused by present‐day high‐pressure work demands. The term mushroom nutriceuticals has been coined to embody both the nutritional and medicinal features of these biological response modifiers extractable from either the mushroom mycelium and/or mycelium culture fluids, or mushroom fruiting bodies.37 Currently, mushrooms represent one of the most rapidly growing sources of extractables both for inclusion in food supplements to enhance health and fitness, and in the prevention and treatment of human disease conditions. Since mushrooms have a long tradition as a food source, mushroom feed‐stocks are categorized as "generally recognized as safe." Furthermore, mushroom nutriceuticals are reported to have extraordinary low toxicity, even at high doses, and are apparently lacking in various side effects that frequently accompany the use of synthetic drugs.

There is increasing experimentally based evidence to support centuries of observations regarding the nutritional (and medicinal) benefits of mushrooms. Mushrooms are of high quality and high economic value. The three most popularly cultivated mushrooms, Pleurotus spp., Lentinus edodes, and Agaricus bisporus, are used in this section to illustrate the nature of mushrooms as a food. Generally, edible mushrooms possess all three properties of food‐nutrition, taste, and physiological functions.

TABLE 6. Proximate Composition of the Three Mushroom Species[36]

Proximate composition Agaricus Lentinus Pleurotus bisporus edodes spp. Moisture 78.3～90.5 90.0～91.8 73.7～90.8 Crude protein 23.9～34.8 13.4～17.5 10.5～30.4

Crude fat 1.7～8.0 4.9～8.0 1.6～2.2 Total carbohydrate 51.3～62.5 67.5～78.0 57.6～81.8 N‐free carbohydrate 44.0～53.5 59.5～70.7 48.9～74.3 Total dietary fiber 8.0～10.4 7.3～8.0 7.5～8.7 Ash 7.7～12.0 3.7～7.0 6.1～9.8 Energy value 328～368 387～392 345～367 All data are presented as percentage of dry weight, except moisture (percentage of fresh weight) and energy

value (Kcal per 100 g dry weight).

TABLE 7. Essential Amino acid Contents of the Mushrooms*35

Essential amino acids Agarius bisporus Lentinus edodes Pleurotus spp. Cystine 23 24 28 Methionine 33 29 35 Threonine 111 98 106 Valine 121 124 112 Isoleucine 91 79 82 Leucine 153 133 139

Lysine 143 122 126 Tyrosine 283 265 219

Phenylalanine 107 91 111 *mg/100 g FW

TABLE 8. Content of the Mushrooms33

% of saturated % of unsaturated Species fatty acids fatty acids Agaricus bisporus 19.5 80.5 Pleurotus spp. 20.7 79.3 Lentinus edodes 19.9 80.1

TABLE 9. Proximate Composition of Fruit Bodies and Mycelia of Coprinus comatus38 Contenta (%) Component Fruit bodies Mycelia b Moisture 8.97±0.08 A 5.64±0.75 B Dry matter 91.03±0.08 B 94.36±0.75 A Carbohydrate 58.37±0.32 A 17.73±0.58 B Reducing sugar 15.91±0.05 A 16.45±0.22 A Crude ash 8.44±0.03 A 3.37±0.43 B Crude fat 3.11±0.09 B 37.69±1.00 A Crude fiber 12.48±0.16 A 14.44±1.42 A Crude protein 17.60±0.12 B 26.77±0.03 A a Moisture and dry matter were presented based on air‐dried mass; others were presented based on dry mass. bEach value is expressed as mean ± standard deviation (n = 3). Means with different letters within a row are significantly different (P < 0.05).

38 TABLE 10. Content of Soluble Sugars and Polyols of Fruit Bodies and Mycelia of Coprinus comatus Content (mg/g dry mass) Sugar or Fruit bodies Mycelia Glucose 1.43±0.51 B 2.37±0.11 A b Myo‐inositol 1.49±1.07 nd Mannitol 78.76±3.42 A 3.62±0.08 B Sucrose nd 24.48±0.31 Trehalose 169.14±1.29 A 3.98±0.39 B Total 250.82±4.23 A 34.45±0.05 B aEach value is expressed as mean ± SD (n = 3). Means with different letters within a row are significantly different (P < 0.05). bnd: not detected.

Mushrooms are rich in proteins (Table 6), with all nine essential amino acids (Table 7), chitin, and vitamins, particularly B and D; low in fat with high proportions of unsaturated fatty acids (Table 8) and also low in calories and cholesterols; they have high levels of special minerals such as potassium, phosphorus, and selenium (an excellent antioxidant), but they are low in sodium. A comparison of chemical composition of fruiting bodies and submerged cultivated mycelia of the same species of culinary mushrooms is very important. For example, the study of fruit bodies and mycelia of Coprinus comatus was done by Tsai et al.38 They found that differences in the profile of proximate composition in studied material. Contents of soluble sugars and polyols in fruit bodies and mycelia were 250.82 and 34.45 mg/g, respectively. Trehalose content was the highest in fruit bodies (169.1 mg/g) whereas sucrose content was the highest in mycelia (24.48 mg/g). Contents of total free amino acids in fruit bodies and mycelia were 9.94 and 6.05 mg/g, respectively. The content of monosodium glutamate‐like components in fruit bodies (3.23 mg/g) of C. comatus was significantly higher than that in mycelia (0.50 mg/g)38 (Tables 9‐11).

TABLE 11. Content of Free Amino Acids of Fruit Bodies and Mycelia of Coprinus comatus38

Content (mg/g dry mass) Amino acid Fruit bodies Mycelia

L‐Alanine 0.26±0.01 Ac 0.12±0.01 B L‐Arginine 0.55±0.01 B 1.33±0.02 A L‐Aspartic acid 0.69±0.07 A 0.09±0.01 B a GABA 0.63±0.04 A 0.23±0.04 B L‐Glutamic acid 2.54±0.20 A 0.41±0.02 B Glycine 0.29±0.01 B 0.32±0.01 A L‐Histidineb 0.72±0.03 A 0.41±0.02 B L‐Isoleucineb 0.71±0.11 A 0.20±0.01 B

L‐Leucineb 0.62±0.01 A 0.35±0.02 B L‐Lysineb 0.88±0.02 A 0.16±0.01 B

L‐Methionineb 0.09±0.01 B 0.30±0.01 A L‐Phenylalanineb 0.80±0.01 A 0.03±0.01 B

L‐Serine 0.41±0.02 A 0.28±0.02 B L‐Threonineb ndd 0.23±0.02

L‐Tryptophanb nd 0.72±0.14 L‐Tyrosine 0.55±0.01 A 0.73±0.14 A

L‐Valineb 0.20±0.01 A 0.14±0.02 B Total 9.94±0.53 A 6.05±0.41 B

aGABA, γ‐aminobutyric acid. bEssential amino acid. cEach value is expressed as mean ± SD (n = 3). Means with different letters within a row are significantly different (P < 0.05). dnd: not detected.

The study of Ulziijard and Mau39 summarizes the results of proximate composition of 38 fruiting bodies and 19 mycelia of 32 species of culinary‐medicinal mushrooms from genera Agaricus, Agrocybe, Antrodia, Auricularia, Boletus, Clitocybe, Coprinus, Cordyceps, Trametes, Dictyophora, Flammulina, Ganoderma, Grifola, Hericium, Hypsizygus, Inonotus, Lentinus, Morchella, Pleurotus, Sparassis, Termitomyces, Tremella, and Tricholoma. Based on the proximate composition, most fruiting bodies and mycelia are low in fat and rich in protein and dietary fiber (DF); however, some are rich in soluble polysaccharides and others are rich in crude fiber (Tables 12 and 13). Due to the high amount of DF present, the energy provided by 100 g of dry fruiting bodies and mycelia is 46.96 to 292.37 kcal and 195.84 to 373.22 kcal, respectively. The energy (100 g) is classified into four levels: first level of >300 kcal, second level of 200‐300 kcal, third level of 100‐200 kcal, and fourth level of <100 kcal. Most fruiting bodies are listed in the third level, nine mycelia are listed in the first level, and ten in the second level. Overall, the information about the proximate composition and energy are of great interest for fruiting bodies and mycelia to be used as foods or food‐flavoring materials or in the formulation of health foods.

TABLE 12. Proximate Composition of Fruiting Bodies of Studied Culinary‐Medicinal Mushrooms39

Ash Carbohydrate(%) Fat Protein Energy Species/Fruiting body Common name Ref. (%) RSa SPa Fiber DFa Total (%) (%) (kcal/100g)

Agaricus bisporus MS Button mushroom 8.78 13.91 27.85 20.44 48.29 62.20 2.53 26.49 184.37 12 Agaricus brasiliensis (=A. blazei) Brazilian mushroom 6.81 10.71 34.81 18.31 53.12 63.83 2.62 26.74 173.38 13 Agrocybe cylindracea brown Willow‐pine 7.90 14.73 28.85 22.80 51.65 66.38 3.54 22.18 179.50 14

mushroom

Agrocybe cylindracea yellow Willow‐pine 6.65 7.88 45.83 19.54 65.37 73.25 3.63 16.47 130.07 13

mushroom

Auricularia fuscosuccinea brown Jin ear 4.02 9.87 61.32 11.69 73.01 82.88 4.48 8.62 114.28 15

Auricularia fuscosuccinea white Snow ear 5.54 10.90 57.98 8.51 66.49 77.39 4.54 12.53 134.58 15

Auricularia mesenterica Black ear 3.29 17.81 58.72 3.92 62.64 80.45 0.80 15.46 140.28 15

Auricularia polytricha Red ear 2.05 17.62 70.52 3.63 74.15 91.77 0.48 5.70 97.60 15

Boletus edulis King bolete 5.84 8.31 47.85 13.70 61.55 69.86 5.76 18.54 159.24 13

Clitocybe maxima cap Big cup mushroom 5.28 22.21 21.44 26.78 48.22 70.43 2.70 21.59 199.50 16

Clitocybe maxima Big cup mushroom 3.67 31.47 19.45 31.76 51.21 82.68 1.24 12.41 186.68 16

Coprinus comatus Shaggy ink cap 8.44 15.91 42.46 12.48 54.94 70.85 3.11 17.60 162.03 17

Cordyceps militaris Northern Cordyceps 5.94 14.03 14.01 19.57 33.58 47.61 10.09 36.36 292.37 18

Trametes (=Coriolus) versicolor Yun chih 6.37 28.27 36.82 23.24 60.06 88.33 1.10 4.20 139.78 19

Dictyophora indusiata Basket stinkhorn 6.25 20.11 46.91 9.16 56.07 76.18 2.98 14.59 165.62 20

Flammulina velutipes white Winter mushroom 6.93 13.88 34.31 15.99 50.30 64.18 8.89 20.00 215.53 21

Flammulina velutipes yellow Winter mushroom 7.51 12.03 27.60 16.98 44.58 56.61 9.23 26.65 237.79 21

Ganoderma lucidum Ling chih 1.77 15.12 10.90 59.16 70.06 85.18 5.13 7.92 138.33 19

Ganoderma lucidum antler Ling chih 1.70 15.56 12.22 59.49 71.71 87.27 3.85 7.18 125.61 19

Ganoderma tsugae Song shan ling chih 1.69 5.35 5.06 73.37 78.43 83.78 5.72 8.81 108.12 22

Ganoderma tsugae baby Song shan ling chih 2.62 5.86 11.31 59.93 71.24 77.10 6.50 13.78 137.06 22

Grifola frondosa Maitake 6.99 10.71 48.07 10.05 58.12 68.83 3.10 21.08 155.06 20

Hericium erinaceus Lion’s mane 9.35 17.39 39.63 7.81 47.44 64.83 3.52 22.30 190.44 20

Hypsizygus marmoreus Hon‐shimeji 7.75 15.69 24.78 28.09 52.87 68.56 4.09 19.60 177.97 23

Hypsizygus marmoreus white Hon‐shimeji 8.26 15.70 23.94 25.42 49.36 65.06 5.62 21.06 197.62 23

Inonotus obliquus Chaga 8.36 4.92 48.27 34.58 82.85 87.77 2.36 1.51 46.96 24

Lentinus edodes 271 Shiitake 5.27 25.81 36.49 5.63 42.12 67.93 6.34 20.46 242.14 21

Lentinus edodes stipe Shiitake 3.78 19.68 17.97 46.99 64.96 84.64 1.32 10.26 131.64 25

Lentinus edodes Tainung 1 Shiitake 5.85 21.91 41.99 4.88 46.87 68.78 5.71 19.66 217.67 21

Pleurotus citrinopileatus Golden oyster 6.72 17.90 27.92 18.03 45.95 63.85 3.44 25.99 206.52 26 Pleurotus cystidiosus Abalone mushroom 9.62 21.00 42.13 8.74 50.87 71.87 3.10 15.41 173.54 21 Pleurotus eryngii King oyster mushroom 5.76 23.05 41.50 5.97 47.47 70.52 1.57 22.15 194.93 27 Pleurotus ferulae Ferulae mushroom 6.60 30.46 30.67 12.98 43.65 74.11 3.01 16.28 214.05 16 Pleurotus ostreatus Oyster mushroom 7.59 19.65 41.42 5.33 46.75 66.40 2.16 23.85 193.44 21 Pleurotus ostreatus gray Oyster mushroom 5.90 23.21 40.99 9.82 50.81 74.02 3.76 16.32 191.96 16 Tremella fuciformis Silver ear 6.14 31.64 50.08 2.91 52.99 84.63 0.93 8.30 168.13 15 Tricholoma giganteum Giant mushroom 5.03 37.95 32.12 4.50 36.62 74.57 4.28 16.12 254.80 20 aRS, reducing sugar; SP, soluble polysaccharide; DF, dietary fiber = SP + fiber. bkcal/100 g= RS × 4 + fat × 9 + protein × 4.

TABLE 13. Proximate Composition of Mycelia of Studied Culinary‐Medicinal Mushrooms39

Ash Carbohydrate(%) Fat Protein Energy Species/Fruiting body Common name Ref. (%) RSa SPa Fiber DFa Total (%) (%) (kcal/100g) Agaricus bisporus Tainung 3 Button mushroom 6.72 13.25 32.56 8.72 41.28 54.53 1.73 37.02 216.65 28 Agaricus brasiliensis Brazilian mushroom 5.90 11.58 30.83 26.41 57.24 68.82 9.68 15.60 195.84 29 Agrocybe cylindracea brown Willow‐pine mushroom 5.12 17.48 13.17 28.96 42.13 59.61 17.32 17.95 297.60 14 Antrodia camphorata Chang chih 3.92 25.39 31.27 20.14 51.41 76.80 9.79 9.49 227.63 29 Antrodia salmonea Shiang shan chih 5.57 37.97 4.74 3.28 8.02 45.99 3.23 45.21 361.79 30 Coprinus comatus Shaggy ink cap 5.26 36.45 12.33 20.38 32.71 69.16 2.96 22.62 262.92 17 Cordyceps militaris Northern Cordyceps 6.97 12.97 24.57 19.17 43.74 56.71 7.20 29.12 233.16 29 Cordyceps sinensis Caterpillar mushroom 3.59 29.26 21.80 10.18 31.98 61.24 11.76 23.41 316.52 30 Ganoderma tsugae Song shan ling chih 5.18 15.42 11.56 19.39 30.95 46.37 21.86 26.59 364.78 22 Grifola frondosa Maitake 3.95 10.19 23.11 11.70 34.81 45.00 24.65 26.40 368.21 31 Hericium erinaceus Lion’s mane 2.57 9.88 18.29 36.81 55.10 64.98 8.78 23.67 213.22 32 Hypsizygus marmoreus Hon‐shimeji 3.83 16.72 12.39 22.33 34.72 51.44 15.12 29.61 321.40 23 Hypsizygus marmoreus Hon‐shimeji 3.69 19.10 6.40 22.40 28.80 47.90 20.62 27.79 373.14 23 white Inonotus obliquus Chaga 3.30 26.17 35.23 4.01 39.24 65.41 5.70 25.59 258.34 24 Morchella esculenta Morel 5.03 12.21 22.72 6.30 29.02 41.23 12.03 41.71 323.95 31 Phellinus linteus Sang hwang 1.91 19.04 35.02 11.57 46.59 65.53 4.04 28.42 226.20 33 Pleurotus citrinopileatus Golden oyster 5.01 16.96 13.91 13.80 27.71 44.67 20.82 29.50 373.22 26 Sparassis crispa Cauliflower mushroom 5.33 26.36 9.32 21.14 30.46 56.82 5.24 32.61 283.04 33 Termitomyces albuminosus Termite mushroom 6.77 12.81 33.44 7.78 41.22 54.03 15.00 24.20 283.04 31 aRS, reducing sugar; SP, soluble polysaccharide; DF, dietary fiber = SP + fiber. bkcal/100 g= RS × 4 + fat × 9 + protein × 4.

Mushrooms also serve as delicious foodstuffs and as food flavoring substances because of their unique flavors. In addition to the volatile eight‐carbon compounds, the typical mushroom flavor consists of water‐soluble taste components such as soluble sugars, polyols, organic acids, free amino acids, and 5’‐nucleotides.

Mushrooms contain several physiologically active substances, including high‐molecular‐weight polysaccharides (mainly β‐D‐glucans), heteroglucans, chitinous substances, peptidoglucans, proteoglucans, lectins, RNA components, and dietary fiber, as well as low‐molecular‐weight organic substances, such as terpenoids, steroids, and novel phenols. Therefore, overall, mushrooms are a valuable health food in modern society. (...to be continued)

REFERENCES

30． Crisan EV, Sands A. Nutritional value. In: The biology and cultivation of edible mushrooms. Chang ST, Hayes WA, eds. New York: Academic Press, 1978; pp. 137‐68. 31． Breene WB. Nutritional and medicinal value of specialty mushrooms. J Food Protection. 1990;53:883‐94. 32． Chang ST, Buswell JA. Medicinal mushrooms‐a prominent source of nutriceuticals for the 21st century. Curr Topics Nutraceutic Res. 2003;1(3):257‐80. 33． Huang BH, Yung KH, Chang ST. The sterol composition of Volvariella volvacea and other edible mushrooms.

Mycologia. 1985;77:959‐63. 34． Li GSF, Chang ST. The nucleic acid content of some edible mushrooms. Europ J Appl Microbiol Biotechnol. 1982;15:237‐40. 35． Beelmam RB, Royse DJ, Chikhimmah N. Bioactive components in button mushroom Agaricus bisporus (Lge) Imbach (Agaricomycetideae) of nutritional, medicinal, and biological importance (Review). Int J Med Mushr. 2003;5:321‐37. 36． Chang ST, Miles PG. Mushrooms: cultivation, nutritional value, medicinal effect, and environmental impact. 2nd ed. Boca Raton (FL): CRC Press, 2004. 451 pp. 37． Chang ST, Buswell JA. Mushroom nutriceuticals. World J Mirob & Biotech. 1996;12:273‐76. 38． Tsai SY, Tsai HL, Mau JL. Nonvolatile taste components of fruit bodies and mycelia of Shaggy Ink Cap mushroom Coprinus comatus (O.F. Müll.:Fr.) Pers. (Agaricomycetideae). Int J Med Mushr. 2006;7:47‐56. 39． Ulziijargal E, Mau JL. Nutrient compositions of culinary‐medicinal mushroom fruiting bodies and mycelia. Int J Med Mushr. 2011;13(4)343‐49.

Call for Papers

Aiming to build the relationship between the members and the Society, the publication of the newsletters was proposed before the launching of the Society. The newsletters represent one of the key official publications from the Society. Contents of the newsletters will include notifications of the decisions made by the committee board, reviews or comments contributed by ISMM committee members, conferences or activities to be organized, and the status updated in research, industrialization, and marketing for medicinal mushrooms. The newsletters will be released quarterly, by the first Monday of every January, April, July, and October, with possible supplementary issues as well. The Newsletter is open to organizations or professionals to submit news, comments, or scientific papers relating to medicinal mushroom research, marketing, or industry.

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