<i>Agaricus blazei</i> Murrill from Brazil: an ingredient for nutraceutical and cosmeceutical applications

Operations for sorting mushrooms at the industrial level usually generate large amounts of bio-residues not conforming to strict morphological criteria for commercial purposes, even though their biological content is not compromised. In this context, the present work aimed at evaluating the potential for reutilizing industrially discarded Agaricus blazei Murill (ABM). Thus, the content of essential nutrients and the chemical composition were determined, and MTT and LDH assays were used to evaluate the viability and cell death of Caco-2 and HT29 cell lines of an ethanolic extract prepared from ABM (preliminary safety tests for nutraceutical applications). The extract was incorporated into a semi-solid base cosmetic cream and cell viability effects of the extract, and of the final cream formulation, on a keratinocyte cell line (HaCaT) were studied (preliminary safety tests for cosmeceutical applications). Essential nutrients, such as proteins and carbohydrates, and a low fat content were determined for ABM. Twenty-two fatty acids were detected, with polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) (∼53%) being the most abundant fraction. The cell viabilities of Caco-2 and HT29 cells were maintained up to 100 μg mL-1. After incorporation into the base cream, a formulation with a pale yellow colour and favourable pH was obtained. The cell viability of HaCaT cells in the presence of the extract and the final cream formulation was maintained in a concentration dependent manner, which indicates the safety of this extract for cosmeceutical applications. The results suggest that ABM residues can be used as an inexpensive and sustainable source of nutraceutical and cosmeceutical ingredients.