Reishi mushroom (Ganoderma lucidum), commonly referred to as Lingzhi in China and Southeast Asia, has long been esteemed for both its wellness benefits and striking beauty. Reishi’s distinctive red hue can be attributed to terpenoids – these chemicals also play a significant role in many therapeutic benefits. Reishi has many health advantages including immune support and anti-ageing effects while its polysaccharides help increase tea’s antioxidant capacity.

Tea is one of the world’s most beloved beverages and an abundant source of polyphenols such as flavonoids and catechins, both antioxidants essential to human health by neutralizing harmful free radicals and mitigating oxidative stress [1].

Substituting mushrooms for functional beverages can significantly boost their nutritional value, as mushrooms contain powerful antioxidant compounds with powerful biological activities. Reishi mushrooms – more commonly known as Lingzhi mushrooms – contain numerous bioactive substances such as polysaccharides and phenolic acids which have powerful biological benefits. When combined with tea, Reishi’s flavor enhancer properties increase while its antioxidant capacity expands further.

Ganoderma-infused white tea products have quickly gained in popularity due to their many health benefits; however, ascertaining their antioxidant potential is difficult. We developed an electrochemical method using CB-AuNP modified electrodes and in situ generated superoxide radicals which more closely replicates physiological conditions than conventional spectrophotometric assays and provides reliable results.

Validating this approach, the method was tested by comparing TEAC values of commercial ganoderma-infused white tea products with regular white tea samples, showing a strong positive linear correlation between their respective TEAC values and polysaccharide content; suggesting higher antioxidant capacities amongst the former variety. As such, this research provides a more physiologically relevant and reliable assessment of antioxidant potential of ganoderma-infused white tea products which could prove invaluable when designing functional beverages and quality controls.

This article is an abstract of an original research paper published in Food Chemistry and Technology; for more details please click here to access its full text version.

Ganoderma lucidum, an Asian and European-originating polypore mushroom species often mislabeled as “reishi” or “lingzhi” due to outdated naming conventions, is an extremely rare and expensive medicinal mushroom; more often seen being sold here under names such as giant or black reishi.

This extract was prepared through hot water extraction of dried Ganoderma lucidum fruiting bodies. Once ground into fine powder form, deionized water was added at a ratio of 1:10 (w/v). The mixture was heated to 80degC for two hours under constant stirring before filtering through Whatman No.1 filter paper before being lyophilized to produce powdered Ganoderma extract.

The TEAC values of white teas infused with Ganoderma were significantly higher than their regular white tea counterparts and directly proportional to its Ganoderma content. Ginseng glossy Ganoderma Tea’s TEAC value also was directly proportional.