The effect of different cooking and preservation methods on the nutritional and phytochemical composition of the mushroom, Amanita zambiana, was investigated. Fresh mushrooms were boiled in water, fried, or microwaved. In addition, fresh mushrooms were either air‐dried for 7 days or frozen at −20°C for 14 days. The protein, lipid, carbohydrate, and phenolic content of the treated mushrooms were measured and compared to the fresh mushroom contents. Frying increased the protein (2.01% ± 0.2% [fresh mushroom] to 2.23% ± 0.09%), lipid (14.68% ± 0.9% to 15.56% ± 0.34%), and carbohydrate (0.89% ± 0.01% to 2.69% ± 0.03%) content, while microwaving increased the protein (2.01% ± 0.2% to 3.64% ± 0.08%) and carbohydrate content (0.89% ± 0.01% to 2.26% ± 0.09%). Boiling only increased the carbohydrate content (0.89% ± 0.01% to 1.71% ± 0.05%) of the mushroom and significantly decreased (p < .05) the phenolic content (8.77 ± 0.1 to 1.46 ± 0.2 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/g mushroom). Drying resulted in significant increase (p < .05) in protein (2.01 ± 0.2% to 24.36 ± 0.09%), carbohydrate (0.89% ± 0.01% to 58.67% ± 3.29%), and phenolic contents (8.77 ± 0.1 to 119.8 ± 0.7 mg GAE/g mushroom), while freezing only increased the carbohydrate content (0.89% ± 0.01% to 1.77% ± 0.03%). From the three cooking methods studied, frying is recommended as the most effective cooking procedure in retaining or enhancing the mushroom nutrients, while drying is a better preservation method than freezing.

Mushrooms have been used extensively in traditional medicine as antimicrobial, antiviral and antitumor agents. Infectious diseases remain a major threat to human health, due to global antimicrobial resistance. This has led to an increase in the search for new and potent antimicrobial substances. The aim of the present study was to investigate the antimicrobial activity of the aqueous (cold and hot) and organic solvents (methanol, ethanol and acetone) extracts of ten mushroom species collected from the woodlands in Zimbabwe against common local bacterial isolates Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi, Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pneumoniae using agar disc diffusion method. The crude extracts of the mushrooms exhibited antibacterial properties to all the bacteria tested. Extracts obtained from ethanol were the most effective tested against bacteria (36.5%), followed by methanol (30.8%) and acetone (30.8%). Aqueous extracts exhibited the lowest effect on bacterial growth inhibition (1.9%), despite including the extract with the highest inhibitory activity (14 mm). The acetone extract of Cantharellus symoensii had the second highest inhibitory value of 11.5 mm followed by the methanol extract from Cantharellus miomboensis and the ethanol extracts of Ganoderma lucidum and C.

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Background Tumors are known to increase the risk of infections, more-so in the central nervous system where tumors may require insertion of surgical hardware/shunts such as in craniopharyngiomas. In contrast, our observation demonstrate that infections of surgical hardware are surprisingly scarce in craniopharyngioma cases. In this study, we explore the possibility of antimicrobial effects of craniopharyngioma cystic fluid. Methods The antibacterial effect of samples of craniopharyngioma cystic fluid against the selected human pathogens Escherichia. coli, S. aureus and S. pneumoniae was determined using the agar disc diffusion method. These results were compared with that of streptomycin and ampicillin. Results The samples of craniopharyngioma cystic fluid inhibited growth of gram-positive bacteria (S. aureus and S. pneumoniae) but not the gram-negative bacteria, E. coli. The samples showed highest zones of S. pneumoniae growth inhibition. Conclusion Craniopharyngioma cystic fluid demonstrated significant antibacterial properties against gram positive bacteria. More studies need to be carried out to further elucidate this unique finding. Conflicts of interest: Authors declare no conflict of interest Availability of Data Material: Raw data can be made available on request Code availability: Available on request Author's contribution: All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection and analysis were performed by Luxwell Jokonya, Tsungai Reid, Maritha Kasambala, Tariro Mduluza-Jokonya. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Luxwell Jokonya