Mycelial growth of Philippine mushroom Lentinus tigrinus in selected cucurbit-based media and its antioxidant activity

Lentinus tigrinus, a basidiomyceteous fungus, is known to be nutritious and exhibits biological activities. The mycelial growth performance of L. tigrinus on selected cucurbit-based solid and liquid media, the ability to scavenge 2,2’diphenyl-1-1picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radicals, and the phenolic content of ethanolic extract of mycelia were investigated. Squash decoction gulaman (local crude agar) recorded the widest mycelial diameter (71.99 mm) regardless of the amount. However, 500 g/L of all cucurbit species registered the widest colony diameter of 73.35 mm. In liquid culture, both squash decoction and luffa decoction showed the highest mycelial biomass (0.09 g dry wt.). The highest mycelial biomass (0.14 g dry wt.) was noted at 500 g/L of all broth media. Extract of mycelia grown in winter melon decoction showed the highest scavenging activity (51.56%) and phenolic content (25.04 mg GAE/g sample). Therefore, decoction of the cucurbit fruits could be used as main ingredient of culture media for efficient production of mycelial biomass and improvement of antioxidant properties of L. tigrinus.