The fruiting body of Ganoderma lucidum has inhibitory activity against angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), which has an important role in controlling blood pressure in the human body. In the present study, we identify and characterize the ACE inhibitory compounds from water extracts of G. lucidum fruiting body. After the fractionation of ACE inhibitory compounds by ethanol, ultrafiltration, and cation-exchange column chromatography, an active fraction (named EU3C) having an IC_<50> of 89μg/mL was obtained with a yield of 14.1%. EU3C showed competitive-type inhibition on ACE activity and K_i was estimated to be 49μg/mL. Further separation of EU3C with reverse-phase chromatography led to increased IC_<50> and K_i values, suggesting that the ACE activity is inhibited by various compounds but not by a single chemical in EU3C. Protein assay and thin layer chromatography analysis based on the ninhydrin reaction revealed that EU3C includes various peptides. ACE inhibitory activity of EU3C was decreased by incubation with carboxypeptidase and acid hydrolysis. These results suggest that peptides of EU3C are responsible for the ACE inhibitory activity of G. lucidum fruiting body.

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Mushrooms are widely used as both foods and medicinal materials due to their antioxidant properties. Several mushrooms were analyzed by electron spin resonance (ESR) in order to identify radical species. Specimens were powder preparations from three dried mushrooms; Coprinus comatus (sasakurehitoyotake), Grifola gargal (Anninko) and Agaricus blazei (Himematsutake). ESR spectra consisted of a singlet at g=2.0 originated from organic free radicals, a weak singlet at g=4.0 from Fe^<3+>, a sextet centered at g=2.0 from Mn^<2+> and a broad signal at g=2.2 from Cu^<2+>.

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The sawdust of willow, Salix sachalinensis and Salix pet-susu, which are known as fast-growing trees and are paid attention as woody biomass resources, was used to determine its availability as substrate for the sawdust-based cultivation of Lentinula edodes. The weight of fruit-bodies remarkably increased and the number of fruit-bodies over M size with commercial value tended to be higher than those cultivated on sawdust-based substrates of birch (Betula platyphylla var. japonica) and Japanese oak (Quercus mongolica var. grosseserrata). The amounts of chemical components, such as the high nitrogen of the willow sawdust, which was a mixture of the wood and the bark, may have a positive effect. These results suggest that S. sachalinensis and S. pet-susu will be useful resources for the sawdust-based cultivation of L. edodes.

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Attract-and-kill traps and other mitigation methods were developed to minimize damage by the fungus moth, Morophagoides moriutii complex, to bed logs used for cultivating the mushroom, Lentinula edodes. The moth was effectively attracted to, and killed by, an ultraviolet LED light trap fitted with a viscous trap sheet. The light trap was more effective and moth death /emergence rate was enhanced to 86.8% when placed at the lower posision among the bed logs, which were covered with fine netting. Since moths were successfully reared when bed logs were placed on moist soils (water content: 60%) but not on dry soils (water content: 20%), it was concluded that the bed log laying yard should be kept dryer.

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