Microwave irradiation in the presence of water was applied for extraction of polysaccharides from the fruiting body of Hericium erinaceum, a mushroom called Yamabushitake. In this study, the effects of microwave irradiation temperature and time on solubilization of polymers in H. erinaceum were investigated. The results indicated that the degree of solubilization of polymers proceeded with an increase in heating temperature up to 200 C, although the polymers solubilized gradually depolymerized with the increase in heating temperature. The results also suggested that lengthening irradiation time had effects on solubilization of polymers similar to the increase in heating temperature. Comparison of the results obtained by microwaveassisted extraction with those obtained by extraction using conventional external heating indicated that extractability of the former extraction for 5 min at 140 C was almost equivalent to that of the latter extraction for 6 h at 100 C. This result suggests that microwave irradiation has an advantage for extraction of polysaccharides from the fruiting body of mushrooms in terms of extraction time.

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