Mushroom polysaccharides are a kind of biological macromolecule extracted from the fruiting body, mycelium or fermentation liquid of edible fungi. In recent years, the research on mushroom polysaccharides for alleviating metabolic diseases, inflammatory bowel diseases, cancers and other symptoms by changing the intestinal microenvironment has been increasing. Mushroom polysaccharides could promote human health by regulating gut microbiota, increasing the production of short-chain fatty acids, improving intestinal mucosal barrier, regulating lipid metabolism and activating specific signaling pathways. Notably, these biological activities are closely related to the molecular weight, monosaccharide composition and type of the glycosidic bond of mushroom polysaccharide. This review aims to summarize the latest studies: (1) Regulatory effects of mushroom polysaccharides on gut microbiota; (2) The effect of mushroom polysaccharide structure on gut microbiota; (3) Metabolism of mushroom polysaccharides by gut microbiota; and (4) Effects of mushroom polysaccharides on gut microbe-mediated diseases. It provides a theoretical basis for further exploring the mechanism of mushroom polysaccharides for regulating gut microbiota and gives a reference for developing and utilizing mushroom polysaccharides as promising prebiotics in the future.

This study aimed to improve the flavor of royal jelly residue via microencapsulation technology using Arabic gum and gelatin as wall materials. This microencapsulation technology showed a good encapsulation yield of 85.71 ± 2.84% and encapsulation efficiency of 92.34 ± 3.17%. The intact structures of the microcapsules were observed using optical and scanning electron microscopes. The results of the simulated gastrointestinal digestion proved that the microcapsules were well-tolerated in the gastric environment (a release rate of 32.95 ± 2.34%). Both electronic nose and electronic tongue evaluations showed that microencapsulation improved the sensory index of the royal jelly sieve residue. After microencapsulation, the astringency, bitterness, and irritant odors of the royal jelly residue were reduced. Simultaneously, the release rate in the intestine was 98.77 ± 1.91%, which demonstrated that microencapsulation would not prevent the human body from absorbing the royal jelly. The results from this study are expected to facilitate the development of mild flavor products made from royal jelly.

Antrodia camphorata (AC) is a precious medicinal mushroom native to Taiwan and famous for its excellent pharmacological activity. A ball mill assisted mechanochemical extraction method was applied in the extraction of triterpenoids from Antrodia camphorata. Compared with the ethanol hot thermal reflux method, mechanochemical-assisted extraction afforded an increased yield of triterpenoids to 1.82 ± 0.04% under conditions of mixing with 10 WT% NaHCO3, milling for 20 min, and extracting with water and chloroform. Triterpenoids from Antrodia camphorata extracted by the mechanochemical-assisted extraction method (TAEM) resulted in stronger pharmacological activity as compared to that extracted by ethanol (TAEE). HPLC and LC-MS/MS results showed that the mechanochemical method could extract triterpenoids which were barely extracted by ethanol extraction. The results of this study could provide valuable ideas and a basis for the application of the mechanochemical-assisted extraction method in the extraction of triterpenoids from AC.