The Basidiomycetes chosen in this study have long been recognised
as edible or therapeutic fungi . For years,
research has focused on the antioxidant activity of the fungal fruiting
body, as this stage of fungal growth is widely accepted as a
nutritional food source. With current research demonstrating that
extracts of fungi possess important biological activities, there is
increasing interest in the antioxidant potential of fungi at various
stages of their development. In addition, there has been little
research focused on antioxidant production by submerged cultures
of medicinal fungi. Accordingly, the objective of this study was to
evaluate the antioxidant properties from the mycelia of several
species of filamentous fungi. This incorporated analysis of total
antioxidant capacity in terms of b-carotene bleaching activity,
reducing power, CUPRAC, radical scavenging ability and chelating
effects on ferrous ions