Mushrooms, functional foods

Manzi, P., Aguzzi, A., Vivanti, V., Paci, M. and Pizzoferrato, L., 1999, Mushrooms as a source of functional ingredients. In Euro Food Chem X European Conference on Functional Foods. A New Challange for the Food Chemist, 22-24 September, Budapest, Hungary, 1, pp 86-93. 

Perera P, Li Y (2011) Mushrooms as a functional food mediator in preventing and ameliorating diabetes. Funct Foods Health Dis 4 161-171... 

Some fimctional foods are derived from miscellaneous compounds such as algae and mushrooms. Algae function by proving omega-3 fatty acids, which enhance immimity, modulate inflammation, and protect against neurodegenerative diseases. Functional foods derived from mushrooms contain antiviral, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory properties. 

In recent decades, mushrooms gained popularity as a food with health benefits. Many strains of culinary mushrooms demonstrate therapeutic properties against deleterious diseases and thus were utilized for centuries in oriental traditional medicine. Today, they have gained much attention fi om research parties around the world (Wasser 2010) for having potential as disease-preventing foods—functional foods. 

Medical preparations of mushrooms use fruiting bodies, mycelia, or sclerotia and are prepared in forms of tablets, pills, or extracts. In contrast to the term medical food, functional food applies to products which are consumed in their natural forms or transformed only by food processing techniques. As food we understand it to be fresh fleshy fungi, in a dried or frozen form which are cooked or prepared for alternative consumption, or eaten raw. 

In terms of functional food, some beneficial mushroom characteristics can be enhanced by the addition of essential elements. Selenium-enriched button mushrooms, shiitake, or oyster mushrooms naturally are preventive to a spectrum of diseases. Selenium is vital for normal functioning of the body and for protection of DNA, proteins, and lip-... 

Virtually two representatives of the Saccharomyces genus, S. cerevi-siae and S. boulardii, are utilized in functional food manufacturing processes. Similar to mushrooms, cell walls of S. cerevisiae are sources of... 

Considering their nutritional and biological properties, mushrooms and yeasts are promising candidates for functional food manufacturing, as well as ingredients in the healthy food formulations. Health benefits from mushrooms and yeasts as functional foods are considerable and involve the prevention of degenerative diseases as atherosclerosis, cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, as well as certain functional disorders. Functional foods were recently redefined as important sources in the prevention, management and treatment of chronic diseases of the modem age, and mushrooms and yeasts are well placed in this concept. 

Schneider, I., Kressel, G., Meyer, A., Krings, U., Berger, R. G., and Hahn, A. 2011. Lipid lowering effects of oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus) in humans. Journal of Functional Foods, 5(1), 17-24. 

Werner AR, Beelman RB (2001) Growing selenium-enriched mushrooms as ingredients for functional foods or dietary supplements. Int J Med Mushrooms 3 112-120... 

Carbohydrate Polymers erom Mushrooms Recent Development and Applications as Functional Foods... 

Chang, S. T. (2008). Overview of mushroom cultivation and utilization as functional foods. In P. C. K. Cheung (Ed.). Mushrooms as Functional Foods (1-34). Hoboken, NJ, Wiley. 

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