The researchers found that white button mushrooms, the most commonly consumed kind in the U.S., have about 12 times more of the antioxidant than wheat germ and 4 times more than chicken liver, the previous top-rated ergothioneine sources based on available data. Until the Penn State researchers developed their testing approach, known as an assay, there was no method employing the most sensitive modern instrumentation and analytical techniques to quantify the amount of ergothioneine in fungi. The researchers say that their assay can be used for other plants, too, not just mushrooms.

Joy Dubost, doctoral candidate in food science, who conducted the study, says, "Numerous studies have shown that consuming fruits and vegetables which are high in antioxidants may reduce the risk of developing chronic diseases. Ergothioneine, a unique metabolite produced by fungi, has been shown to have strong antioxidant properties and to provide cellular protection within the human body." Dubost detailed the new assay and the amounts of ergothioneine in the most common and exotic mushrooms typically available in U.S. food stores in a paper presented today (Aug. 31) at the 230th American Chemical Society meeting in Washington, D. C. Her paper is Identification and Quantification of Ergothioneine in Cultivated Mushrooms by Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectroscopy. Her co-authors are Dr. Robert B. Beelman, professor of food science; Dr. Devin G. Peterson, assistant professor of food science, and Dr. Daniel J. Royse, professor of plant pathology.

The Penn State researchers found that among the most commonly consumed mushrooms, portabellas and criminis have the most ergothioneine, followed closely by the whit
'"/>

Contact: Barbara Hale
bah@psu.edu
814-865-9481
Penn State
31-Aug-2005