Bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity of Lion's Mane mushroom (Hericium erinaceus) from different growth periods

Lion's Mane mushroom (Hericium erinaceus) is one of the most popularly edible and medicinal mushrooms. However, there is still a lack of knowledge on the relationship between growth period and bioactive content in the mushroom. The objectives of this research were to study bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity of Lion's Mane mushroom at various growth periods. The mushroom was cultivated and harvested at growth periods of 14, 21, and 28-days. The samples were dried by lyophilization and extracted with ethanol. Bioactive compounds (ergosterol, hericenone C, and hericene A), total phenolic content, total flavonoid content, and antioxidant activity of the samples were analyzed. HPLC analysis demonstrated the highest concentration of ergosterol, hericenone C and hericene A in the 14-days, 21-days, and 28-days samples, respectively. Total phenolic content and total flavonoid content of the dried sample were not statistically significant different (p>0.05). The 21-days sample showed higher activity than the 14-days and 28-days samples for both DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging assays. In conclusion, the 14-days sample showed the highest concentrations of bioactive compounds, while the 21-days sample showed the highest yield and antioxidant activity. The 28-days sample exhibited a change in morphology and color. This study demonstrates that the growth periods of Lion's Mane mushroom play a role in their bioactive compounds and antioxidant activities. Finally, the correlation of growth periods to the content of other bioactive compounds can be used for mushroom cultivation and applications in foods, food supplements and cosmetics.