Abstract

David, O. M*, Fagbohun, E. D, Oluyege, A. O and Adegbuyi, A

Nutriceutics potential and physicochemical properties of the oil extract from five species of macrofungi which include Ganoderma lucidium, Pleurotus tuberregium, Termytomyces robustus, Schizophyllum commune and Trametes versicolor were investigated using standard chemical and microbiological methods. The oil was extracted using Soxhlet method of extraction. Disc diffusion and agar dilution methods were used to test for the antibacterial and antifungal properties of the samples respectively. The extracted oils were tested against five clinical bacterial isolates: Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Serratia marcescens, Enterococcus faecalis and Escherichia coli. The susceptibility of three fungi genera to the oil samples was also tested. The potency of the extracts oils was determined at different concentrations. All the oils extracted from the mushroom were liquid at room temperature. The acid values of the oils ranged between 0.9 and 6.7 mg KOH/g in T. robustus and T. versicolor respectively. The high iodine values ranged between 39.8 in T. versicolor and 127.0 mg I2/100 g. The saponification value was above 100 mg KOH/g except T. robustus. The aromabiogram of the oils from the mushroom had a pronounced effect on the Gram negative bacteria. Oil from S. commune has the least inhibitory effect on the bacteria. The antifungal assay of P. tuberregium was most effective against Aspergillus parasiticus, followed by that of G. lucidium. The least effective was oil from T. versicolor. The performance of oil from G. lucidium was the best out of all the samples. The inhibitory activities of the oils were concentration dependent. The oils tested were good sources of antimicrobials.