Stalker was interested to note a little factoid tucked into an article in The Mushroom Business magazine which came out before Christmas. The article was about King Oyster mushroom production at HLP Pilztag.
The nugget of info was delivered by Miriam Sari of the University of Applied Sciences Niederrhein. She presented the results of screening for beta- glucans in a series of wild and commercially grown mushrooms. Apparently the highest concentration s were found in the stems of the mushrooms investigated. Some of the wild varieties were found to contain significantly high amounts of the beta glucans.
Various studies have examined the potential health effects of β-glucan. Oat fiber β-glucan at intake levels of at least 3 g per day can decrease the levels of saturated fats in the blood and may reduce the risk of heart disease.
Some studies have suggested that cereal-derived β-glucan may also have immunomodulatory properties. Yeast and medicinal mushroom derived β-glucans have been investigated for their ability to modulate the immune system.
β-glucans are further used in various nutraceutical and cosmetic products, as texturing agents, and as soluble fiber supplements
