Structural characteristics and fermentation patterns of polysaccharides from mushrooms.

The aim of this study was to investigate the structural characteristics and fermentation patterns of polysaccharides from mushrooms. Polysaccharides were solubilized from fruit bodies of selected mushrooms , , and using subcritical water extraction. polysaccharides were characterized for their general physicochemical pattern, constituent monosaccharides and molecular weight. A simulated fermentation model was used to study the utilization of polysaccharides by the gut microbiota and their consequent modulation of microbial communities. Results showed that the main constituent monosaccharides of polysaccharides were glucose, galactose and mannose, followed by fucose, xylose and rhamnose, with glucose being the most abundant. The polysaccharides from and exhibited a relatively high proportion of galactose and mannose, respectively. polysaccharides exhibited a wide range of molecular weights (5 kDa to 2000 kDa), which covered multiple polysaccharide populations, but the proportions of these populations varied among the samples. polysaccharides were gradually utilized by the human fecal microbiota, promoting the production of SCFAs. polysaccharides contributed to a healthier gut microbiota composition by increasing the relative abundance of beneficial bacterial genera such as and and reducing the relative abundance of harmful bacterial genera such as and -. polysaccharides showed better fermentability and prebiotic effects than the other polysaccharide groups. Therefore, the consumption of select mushrooms, particularly , could be a potential approach to obtain polysaccharides for microbiota modulation and to support gut health.