A comparative study on the physio-chemical properties, antioxidant and immuno-stimulating activities of two national geographical indication products of Tremella fuciformis in China

摘要

Tremella fuciformis from Gutian in Fujian Province (TF-GT) and Tongjiang in Sichuan Province (TF-TJ) in China are two geographical indication (GI) products that are mainly differentiated and characterised by their cultivation methods. To better understand the qualities of the GI products of T. fuciformis, a comparative study was conducted on the physio-chemical properties, antioxidant and immuno-stimulating activities of TF-GT and TF-TJ. The results showed that TF-GT has a higher content of ash, polysaccha-rides and protein, but lower essential amino acid/total amino acid compared with TF-TJ. The rehydration ratio and the desirable viscous characteristics varied in a species-dependent manner. The water extract (component, 70.79% polysaccharides) from TF-GT showed higher immuno-stimulating activity. TF-GT and TF-TJ can be separated via cluster analysis, suggesting that the above-mentioned parameters are essential to characterise the qualities of GI products of T. fuciformis. Understanding these different properties are vital to product processing and dietary guideline formulation.