175
and other respiratory problems. It is a mutagen and potentially carcinogenic (Weng
et al. 2009). As per the US Environmental Protection Agency, the recommended
daily dose of formaldehyde is 0.2 mg/kg of body weight. However, formaldehyde
level of up to 119–494 mg/kg has been reported in dried fruiting bodies (Liu et al.
2005). In other study, formaldehyde content of UK and Chinese shiitake mushroom
was up to 100–300 mg/kg (Mason et al. 2004; Liu et al. 2013). The other side effects
include development of flagellate types of rashes and even severe cutaneous reaction. The dermatitis is caused by a toxic reaction to a thermolabile polysaccharide
known as lentinan, a component of raw and undercooked shiitake mushrooms. The
symptom appears within 2 hours or even 5 days of ingestion and can take up to
28 days to recover.
10.9 Conclusion
The potential of shiitake mushrooms in therapeutics, applied biotechnology, and
various food industries is unquestionable. In medical field, due to a plethora of bioactive metabolites, it is used as a prolific source of vitamins and drugs to combat
various diseases such as diabetes, cancer, and various physiological disorders.
Moreover, several undemonstrated therapeutic roles of shiitake mushroom need further advanced studies. However, lack of standard protocols, marketing strategies,
quality assessment, and bioactivity of compounds derived from it in human context
needs to be verified. The effects of different carbon sources such as rice straw or
sawdust on chemical composition and volatile and nonvolatile taste components of
shiitake mushrooms are poorly understood. In parallel, precise strain identification,
the mining of genome, and identification of key genes related to aroma and enhancing shelf-life of fruiting bodies by the genetic engineering of potential strains also
need researcher’s attentions.
References
Ao T, Ranjan C, Satyawada D, Rao R (2019) Molecular strategies for identification and characterization of some wild edible mushrooms of Nagaland, India. Molecular Biology Reports,
(0123456789). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11033- 019- 05170- 2
Asaduzzaman K, Mousumi T (2012) Nutritional and medicinal importance of Pleurotus mushrooms: an overview. Food Rev Intl 28:313–329. https://doi.org/10.1080/87559129.2011.63726
7
Belozerskaya TA, Gessler NN, Aver‘yanov AA (2017) Melanin pigments of fungi. Fungal
Metabol 263e291
Bhunia SK, Dey B, Maity KK, Patra S, Mandal S, Maiti S (2010) Structural characterization
of an immunoenhancing heteroglycan isolated from an aqueous extract of an edible mushroom, Lentinus squarrosulus (Mont.) Singer. Carbohydr Res 345:2542–2549. https://doi.
org/10.1016/j.carres.2010.09.015
10 Recent Developments in Shiitake Mushrooms and Their Nutraceutical Importance
and other respiratory problems. It is a mutagen and potentially carcinogenic (Weng
et al. 2009). As per the US Environmental Protection Agency, the recommended
daily dose of formaldehyde is 0.2 mg/kg of body weight. However, formaldehyde
level of up to 119–494 mg/kg has been reported in dried fruiting bodies (Liu et al.
2005). In other study, formaldehyde content of UK and Chinese shiitake mushroom
was up to 100–300 mg/kg (Mason et al. 2004; Liu et al. 2013). The other side effects
include development of flagellate types of rashes and even severe cutaneous reaction. The dermatitis is caused by a toxic reaction to a thermolabile polysaccharide
known as lentinan, a component of raw and undercooked shiitake mushrooms. The
symptom appears within 2 hours or even 5 days of ingestion and can take up to
28 days to recover.
10.9 Conclusion
The potential of shiitake mushrooms in therapeutics, applied biotechnology, and
various food industries is unquestionable. In medical field, due to a plethora of bioactive metabolites, it is used as a prolific source of vitamins and drugs to combat
various diseases such as diabetes, cancer, and various physiological disorders.
Moreover, several undemonstrated therapeutic roles of shiitake mushroom need further advanced studies. However, lack of standard protocols, marketing strategies,
quality assessment, and bioactivity of compounds derived from it in human context
needs to be verified. The effects of different carbon sources such as rice straw or
sawdust on chemical composition and volatile and nonvolatile taste components of
shiitake mushrooms are poorly understood. In parallel, precise strain identification,
the mining of genome, and identification of key genes related to aroma and enhancing shelf-life of fruiting bodies by the genetic engineering of potential strains also
need researcher’s attentions.
References
Ao T, Ranjan C, Satyawada D, Rao R (2019) Molecular strategies for identification and characterization of some wild edible mushrooms of Nagaland, India. Molecular Biology Reports,
(0123456789). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11033- 019- 05170- 2
Asaduzzaman K, Mousumi T (2012) Nutritional and medicinal importance of Pleurotus mushrooms: an overview. Food Rev Intl 28:313–329. https://doi.org/10.1080/87559129.2011.63726
7
Belozerskaya TA, Gessler NN, Aver‘yanov AA (2017) Melanin pigments of fungi. Fungal
Metabol 263e291
Bhunia SK, Dey B, Maity KK, Patra S, Mandal S, Maiti S (2010) Structural characterization
of an immunoenhancing heteroglycan isolated from an aqueous extract of an edible mushroom, Lentinus squarrosulus (Mont.) Singer. Carbohydr Res 345:2542–2549. https://doi.
org/10.1016/j.carres.2010.09.015
10 Recent Developments in Shiitake Mushrooms and Their Nutraceutical Importance