Abstract
This project was conducted to determine the edibility and to harness the economic potentials of Philippine stinkhorns. This study makes use of three stinkhorns, namely, Dictyophora, Mutinus, and Clathrus. Mycelial biomass of these three stinkhorns was produced using different indigenous culture media. Cytotoxicity test was done to determine the biosafety of these stinkhorns using shrimp nauplii.
The results showed that the three stinkhorns exhibited antibacterial activity against E. coli with Dictyophora having the greatest antibacterial activity. It also showed that the best medium for Clathrus and Dictyophora was the potato sucrose broth while for the Mutinus was the rice bran decoction. The cytotoxicity test showed that all these three stinkhorns were not toxic to human cells.
Based on the results obtained, it can be concluded that the Philippine wild stinkhorns possess antibacterial effects, are edible, and can be artificially propagated.
Intoduction
The tropical conditions of the Philippines favor the proliferation of wild macro fungi especially during rainy season when moisture is abundant. A number of these have already been reported. However, the economic potential of most of these macrofungi, including the stinkhorns, has not yet been tapped. If properly harnessed, these species can be used as possible sources of bioactive compounds for humans.
Mushrooms nowadays are no longer regarded just a table food due to the medicinal benefits that can be derived from them. A number of these mushrooms like Ganoderma are already commercially available either in tea form or capsules, which are primarily meant as functional food. However, the potential of stinkhorns in the Philippines remains to be underutilized.
Commercial antibiotics command high price, thus ordinary Filipinos, especially those in the rural areas, could not afford to buy antibiotics. Due to the high cost of antibiotics and their inaccessibility, the rural people resort to the use of herbal medicines, which are natural and do not pose overdose to the users. These include botanical extracts and mushrooms.
This study focused only on the propagation of stinkhorns in vitro for the production of mycelial biomass.
Materials & Equipment
Selected References:
Further clarification of the procedures and results should be directed to the researchers and adviser.
Researchers:
Genesis P. Mendoza
Adviser:
Johnny E. de Leon
Juan R. Liwag Memorial High School
Gapan City