EFFECT OF NON-CONVENTIONAL CARBON SOURCES ON THE PRODUCTION OF TRITERPENOIDS IN SUBMERGED CULTURES OF Pleurotus MACROFUNGI

Among the secondary metabolites of pharmacological, chemical and biotechnological interest, triterpenoidal compounds are widely distributed throughout the fungi kingdom. Triterpenoids produced by species of the genus Pleurotus, basidiomycetes characterized by their important biological actions and excellent nutritional quality, can be obtained by fermentation processes that stimulate the production of the bioactive compounds. This study evaluates the effect of using 12 non-conventional carbon sources (CS) on the production of triterpenoids from 3 Pleurotus species: P. ostreatus, P. djamor and P. pulmonarius obtained in submerged culture. The variations found among these species with regard to their quantities and structural differences were dependent on the CS as well as the species, and it was concluded that the cultivation of the mycelium of P. pulmonarius with wheat bran promotes the production of the compounds of interest. In addition no direct influence of the C/N ratio of the substrate on the biosynthesis of the triterpenoids was observed, as reported in the case of other secondary metabolites such as polysaccharides and statins.