Description
Wild mushrooms contain a huge diversity of biomolecules with nutritional (1] and/or medicinal
properties (2] .Their consumption continues to increase due to their functional benefits and
presence of bioactive compounds that can be found in phenolic, polysaccharidic and lipidic
fractions. Phenolic compounds can act as reducing agents, free radical-scavengers, singlet
oxygen quenchers or metal ion chelators, and have been identified in different mushroom species
[3]. Some mushroom polysaccharides have been approved in some countries for the clinical
treatment of cancer patients, and their biological activity has been related to immunomodulating
properties. In the lipidic fraction, tocopherols are important natural antioxidants due to their role as
free radicals scavengers (4]. Herein, those fractions of C. atramentaria were
chemically characterized and submitted to evaluation of antioxidant properties. p-hydroxybenzoic,
p-coumaric and cinnamic acids were found in the phenolic fraction; ramnose, xylose, arabinose,
fructose, glucose, manose, sucrose, maltose {most abundant) and trehalose were quantified in
the polysaccharidic fraction; linoleic acid, and 13- and y-tocopherols were the main compounds in
the lipidic fraction. C. atramentaria phenolic and polysaccharidic fractions revealed excellent free
radical scavenging activity, reducing properties and lipid peroxidation inhibition in brain
homogenates. Overall, the inclusion of this mushroom in the diet could bring health benefits,
considering their antioxidant properties and bioactive compounds.
; Barros, Lillian 
