Evolution of safe food to cover natures diversity...Mushrooms

Food Function and Medicinal Effect of Mushroom Fungi
--Bioactive Biomolecules Obtained from Mushrooms--
Takashi Mizuno
Depar tment o f Appl i ed Bi o logi cal Chemi s try, Shi zuoka Uni versi ty
836, Ohya, Shi zuoka 422 , Japan
Summary
Several thousand speci es of mushrooms which are fungi
(Basidiomycetes and Ascomycetes ) inhabi t the ear th, including
1,500 speci es in Japan. Many o f these sp ecies have high value as
gen e r esources to which biotechnology c a n be appl i ed to develop not
only food mate r i als (phys i ologi cal functional food) but also as
mate r ial s fo r the development of medi c ines . Many edible
mushrooms are now being evaluated in terms of the quali ty and
quant i ty of thei r components which relate to the nut ri t ion and
sensory propert ies b o th a s s tati c characteris ti cs bef o re meal s and
the bioregulation function a s dynamic c haracter is tics a f ter meal s .
I t i s necessary to t ake into account not on ly the to xicat ion poss ible
by poisonous mushrooms gathered in the f i e ld but a lso the f ood
sanitat ion pract ice assoc iated with cul t ivat ion, preservat ion,
process ing and s torage o f edible mushrooms .