The investigation intends Recover bioactive compounds such as Titin, Betaglucana and Statins, present in unused mushrooms and production waste.
A It is developing a dietary supplement to reduce blood cholesterol levels using mushroom byproducts, he revealed a source this Monday.
The investigation, led by Filipe Gomes of the UA Chemistry Department, aims to recover bioactive compounds such as Titin, Betaglucana and statins, present in unused mushrooms and production waste.
“We are trying to extract compounds such as Titin, Betaglucana (fiber), statins and other compounds, so we can use them for ends as diverse as food ingredients and eventually drugs,” the investigator told Lusa.
The investigation is based on the recovery of mushroom byproducts produced and packaged in the units of Cuga, a mushroom -producing company.
The Associated Laboratory for Green Chemistry of the University of Aveiro Chemistry and Technology Network (Laqv-Requin) Transformation of these super products into a natural product with benefits to cardiovascular health.
“This collaboration was born from the perception of the amount of by -products of the mushrooms produced and their wealth in compounds, namely the betaglucanas,” explains Filipe Gomes.
“After extracting these bioactive compounds, we study the way they interact with the bile acids present in the intestines,” he adds.
For the cuga, it is about taking about 10% of the fresh mushrooms produced, which today are wasted, that the joint work with the University of Aveiro will allow it to turn into a natural food supplement “with good market perspectives”.
“They are feet, fragments of mushrooms and units outside the caliber that total approximately 500 tons of by -product wasted per year,” says Nuno Pereira, responsible for the company.
Cuga, which has units in Vila Flor, Vila Real and Paredes, states to be a 80% shareholder in the Portuguese Mushroom Market, producing and packing about five thousand tons annually and having as main customers the large surfaces.
