RT Journal Article ID 6aa391217c23d42d A1 Elisashvili, Vladimir I. T1 Submerged Cultivation of Medicinal Mushrooms: Bioprocesses and Products (Review) JF International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms JO IJM YR 2012 FD 2012-05-09 VO 14 IS 3 SP 211 OP 239 K1 higher Basidiomycetes K1 medicinal mushrooms K1 submerged cultivation K1 effect of nutrients K1 physical-chemical factors K1 fermentation strategies K1 biologically active metabolites K1 polysaccharide synthesis K1 antioxidant activity K1 lectin activity AB Medicinal mushrooms belonging to higher Basidiomycetes are an immensely rich yet largely untapped resource of useful, easily accessible, natural compounds with various biological activities that may promote human well-being. The medicinal properties are found in various cellular components and secondary metabolites (polysaccharides, proteins and their complexes, phenolic compounds, polyketides, triterpenoids, steroids, alkaloids, nucleotides, etc.), which have been isolated and identified from the fruiting bodies, culture mycelium, and culture broth of mushrooms. Some of these compounds have cholesterol-lowering, anti-diabetic, antioxidant, antitumor, immunomodulating, antimicrobial, and antiviral activities ready for industrial trials and further commercialization, while others are in various stages of development. Recently, the submerged cultivation of medicinal mushrooms has received a great deal of attention as a promising and reproducible alternative for the efficient production of mushroom mycelium and metabolites. Submerged cultivation of mushrooms has significant industrial potential, but its success on a commercial scale depends on increasing product yields and development of novel production systems that address the problems associated with this technique of mushroom cultivation. In spite of many researchers' efforts for the production of bioactive metabolites by mushrooms, the physiological and engineering aspects of submerged cultures are still far from being thoroughly studied. The vast majority of studies have focused on polysaccharide and ganoderic acid production in submerged cultivation of medicinal mushrooms, and very little has been written so far on the antioxidant and hemagglutinating activity of submerged mushroom cultures. The purpose of this review is to provide an update of the present state of the art and future prospects of submerged cultivation of medicinal mushrooms to produce mycelium and bioactive metabolites, and to make a contribution for the research and development of new pharmaceutical products from mushrooms. A brief overview of the metabolic diversity and bioactive compounds of mushrooms produced by submerged cultures is also given. PB Begell House LK https://www.dl.begellhouse.com/journals/708ae68d64b17c52,129584461de3f84f,6aa391217c23d42d.html