Mushrooms gain widespread attention in food, daily chemical and pharmaceutical fields for their rich functional bioactive components (e.g., triterpenoids, polysaccharides, polyphenols, ergosterol). Extraction of these components is fundamental to industrialization, and efficient, eco-friendly technologies are crucial for reducing costs and advancing the edible mushroom deep-processing industry. Balancing quality, efficiency and cost, this paper elaborates on relevant extraction technologies.
Triterpenoids Extraction
Main methods include ultrasonic-assisted extraction (UAE), CO2 supercritical fluid extraction (SFE-CO2), organic solvent extraction (OSE) and enzyme-assisted extraction (EAE):
- OSE: Low equipment requirements and simple operation, but low extraction efficiency, residual solvents and high toxicity.
- UAE: Most widely used, with high efficiency, short time and broad applicability, emerging as a key green extraction technology. However, it has poor component selectivity and high equipment costs.
- SFE-CO2: An emerging technology with core advantages of environmental friendliness, high selectivity, efficiency and energy conservation. It shows low efficiency for polar components; future research should focus on cost reduction, efficiency improvement and technology integration to promote industrial large-scale application.
- EAE: A critical technology for triterpenoids extraction due to high selectivity, mild conditions and environmental friendliness.
Polysaccharides Extraction
Major methods involve water extraction, high-temperature steam extraction, subcritical water extraction, compound enzyme extraction, microwave-assisted extraction (MAE), ultrasonic-microwave synergistic extraction, aqueous two-phase extraction, EAE and pulsed electric field-assisted extraction:
- Water extraction: Common with low cost and simple operation, irreplaceable in natural product extraction but limited in applicability.
- High-temperature steam extraction: Widely used for its efficiency and eco-friendliness, yet facing challenges of heat-sensitive component loss and high energy consumption.
Polyphenols Extraction
Methods include immersion extraction, heat reflux extraction (HRE), ultrasonic extraction and MAE:
- HRE: Excellent polyphenol extraction performance, holding an important position in natural product extraction but suffering from heat-sensitive component loss and high energy consumption.
- MAE: Features short time, low solvent consumption, high extraction rate and energy efficiency. Optimal results require adjusting microwave drying parameters, extract concentration and extraction duration.
Ergosterol Extraction
Main approaches include flash extraction, UAE, MAE, pressurized solvent extraction and SFE-CO2. Compared with conventional methods, flash extraction significantly reduces energy consumption and extraction time, achieving much higher ergosterol extraction efficiency than UAE.
In summary, extraction technologies for mushroom active components have formed a pattern of "traditional methods as foundation, emerging technologies as iteration". Traditional technologies retain roles in specific scenarios due to cost advantages but face increasing drawbacks in environmental friendliness and efficiency. Emerging technologies such as UAE, SFE-CO2 and EAE, with their green, efficient and highly selective traits, have become the core driving force for upgrading the mushroom deep-processing industry.