ABSTRACT
The anti‐oxidant properties of liver pâtés might be enhanced by adding specific bioactive ingredients such as Boletus edulis mushrooms. Water‐ and methanol‐soluble fractions of supplemented pâtés showed higher 2,2′‐Azino‐bis(3‐ethylbenzothiazoline‐6‐sulfonic acid and 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl scavenging activities than control samples. B. edulis supplementation resulted in lower EC50 but only up to 5% (w/w). The high anti‐oxidant activity observed in supplemented pâtés was stable during 30 storage days and decreased after 60 days but still it was higher than control pâtés and did not influence lipid oxidation. Addition of dried water or methanol preparations extracted from the mushroom did not improve the anti‐oxidant activity observed when the complete fruiting body was utilized. Ergosterol‐related compounds and ergotioneine were involved, but they were not exclusively responsible of the high anti‐oxidant activity observed, phenolic compounds might be involved too.
PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS
Antioxidants are thought to exert a potential protective effect against free radical damage preventing cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and tumor formation by inhibiting oxidative reactions on DNA, lipids, etc. Traditional liver pâtés are a good source of bioavailable iron but they are also rich on saturated fatty acids and cholesterol. The frequent consumption of the latter compounds increases the risk of CVD. Moreover, the industrial manufactures usually add synthetic anti‐oxidants to inhibit pâtés lipid oxidation, as their iron content might act as catalyst and accelerate lipid oxidation reactions. Edible fungi are a good source of natural anti‐oxidants and fungal flavors, textures and colors are similar to animal products. Therefore, Boletus edulis fruiting bodies could be added at low concentrations (2.5–1% w/w) to liver pâté to design a new functional pâté with higher anti‐oxidant activities without the need of synthetic anti‐oxidants to prevent lipid oxidation up to 30 storage days.