This record provides bibliographic details and links to the original research. An editorial study breakdown is not available.
Drying method significantly changed measured lovastatin content in oyster mushrooms: freeze-drying preserved roughly 1.8x more than hot-air drying.
What the researchers found
Freeze-dried Pleurotus ostreatus retained 342 +/- 9.0 mg/kg lovastatin versus 190 +/- 6.0 mg/kg in dry-air-dried samples, a significant difference attributed to the gentler drying condition.
How the study worked
Comparative processing study of two drying methods (freeze-drying sublimation vs dry-air drying) on P. ostreatus fruiting bodies, with histology, X-ray microtomography, rehydration testing, and quantification of lovastatin and antioxidant activity. Lovastatin was quantified via optical density of hydro-alcohol extracts at 295 nm.
What this study cannot tell us
Lovastatin was measured by UV absorbance at 295 nm rather than by a chromatographic-mass-spectrometric method; UV approaches are known to be inflated by co-absorbing mushroom constituents, so absolute values should be treated as an upper bound. Relative comparison between the two drying methods is more reliable than the absolute concentrations.
Read the original research
The influence of the drying method for food properties and hypolipidemic potential of oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus).
Voprosy pitaniia, 87(2), 65-76
Citation
Piskov, S I; Timchenko, L D; Rzhepakovsky, I V; Avanesyan, S S; Sizonenko, M N; Areshidze, D A; Kovalev, D A. (2018). The influence of the drying method for food properties and hypolipidemic potential of oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus).. Voprosy pitaniia, 87(2), 65-76. https://doi.org/10.24411/0042-8833-2018-10020