Abstract
Free sugars and free sugaralcohols in the ethanolic extracts of nineteen species of mushrooms were investigated by gas-liquid chromatography and GC-MS analysis. The results obtained were as follows: The amounts of total free sugars and total free sugaralcohols obtained from these mushrooms were found in the range of 0.2-16.3% (the mean value; 5.8%) and 0.1-15.0% (the mean value; 4.2%) in dry materials respectively. In these mushrooms, three kinds of free sugars (trehalose, glucose and fructose) and four kinds of free sugaralcohols (mannitol, arabitol, meso-erythritol and glycerol) were identified. Trehalose and mannitol were found to be predominant in samples, and glucose was also found in all the samples, and meso-erythritol was found in two species of mushrooms, Naratake mushroom (Armillariella mellea) and Naratakemodeki mushroom (Armillariella tabescens). The distribution patterns and contents of free sugars and free sugaralcohols had low similarities among different species of mushroom. Chirality of arabitol and mannitol obtained from seven species mushrooms, Enokitake mushroom (F. velutipes), Hiratake mushroom (P. ostreatus), Shirotamogitake mushroom (L. ulmarius), Tamogitake mushroom (P. cornucopiae), Matsutake mushroom (T. matsutake), Naratake mushroom (A. mellea) and Naratakemodoki mushroom (A. tabescens), were investigated by specific rotatory power. Chirality of arabitol and mannitol in these mushrooms were found D-configuration.
