Rita Faustino

Ms. Rita Faustino

orcid

Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

1Year (2026-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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12 June 2026 in Molecules
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
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RFRita Faustino
Rita Faustino
AFAntonio Ferreira
Antonio Ferreira
MBMaria Bronze
Maria Bronze
NFNaiara Fernández
Naiara Fernández
Ergosterol (ERG) is a bioactive sterol found in fungal cell membranes with reported cholesterol-lowering, antioxidant, and antitumor properties. Supercritical Fluid Extraction (SFE) conditions were optimized for Lentinula edodes (shiitake) using Response Surface Methodology and subsequently applied to Pleurotus ostreatus (oyster). Optimized SFE (690 bar, 69.8 °C, no co-solvent) produced significantly more concentrated ERG extracts than Soxhlet extraction for both species—280.57 ± 10.80 mgERG/gextract for shiitake and 95.87 ± 7.18 mgERG/gextract for oyster—corresponding to a 107% and 65% increase, respectively. Three biomass pre-treatments—ultrasound, microwave, and enzymatic—were evaluated in combination with SFE. Enzymatic pre-treatment with chitinase significantly improved ERG concentration: 337.53 ± 23.12 mgERG/gextract for shiitake. These results obtained after analysis of samples by GC-MS demonstrate that high-pressure SFE combined with chitinase pre-treatment is an effective strategy for producing ERG-rich extracts from fungal matrices.