Chen-Che Hsieh, Yi-Wen Chen, Yi-Cheng Huang, Shin-Ping Lin, Kai-Wen Cheng, Cheng-Chih Hsu, Chang-Wei Hsieh, Artik Elisa Angkawijaya, Shella Permatasari Santoso, Hui-Wen Lin, Kuan-Chen Cheng
Ganoderma formosanum, an edible medicinal fungus renowned for its bioactive metabolites, faces challenges in traditional cultivation due to prolonged timelines and elevated costs, hindering its integration into functional food formulations. This study introduces an innovative, sustainable fermentation platform by immobilizing G. formosanum mycelia (GFM) on plastic composite support (PCS) within an airlift bioreactor, utilizing agricultural byproducts to foster eco-efficient production of natural anti-melanogenesis compounds with potential as functional food ingredients. Initial shake-flask evaluations identified the SY-PCS matrix, comprising soybean hulls, polypropylene, and yeast extract, as optimal for mycelial immobilization, yielding anti-melanin activity equivalent to 79.78% of kojic acid (KA) efficacy. Upscaling to a 5 L bioreactor with 1% SY-PCS supplementation on day 8 elevated this to 81.7% of KA’s potency, while repeated-batch fermentation amplified second-batch biomass productivity by 2.7-fold, promoting resource-efficient yields suitable for food-grade applications. Cell-based assays in B16-F10 models demonstrated potent suppression of intracellular melanin accumulation, akin to KA, and zebrafish trials revealed a 31% reduction in melanin content. LC-MS/MS analysis identified 15 bioactive compounds, corroborated by molecular docking studies showing enhanced tyrosinase-binding affinities and synergistic effects, underscoring their promise as natural additives in functional foods for skin health support. © The Author(s) 2025.
Department of Seafood Science, National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology, Nanzih District, Kaohsiung, Taiwan; Institute of Food Science and Technology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan; Institute of Biotechnology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan; Ph.D. Program in Drug Discovery and Development Industry, College of Pharmacy, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan; School of Food Safety, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan; TMU Research Center of Biomedical Device, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Chemistry, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan; Leeuwenhoek Laboratories Co. Ltd, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, National Chung Hsing University, South Dist, Taichung, Taiwan; Department of Food Science, National Ilan University, Yilan County, Yilan City, Taiwan; Center for Sustainable Research Center, RIKEN, Yokohama, Japan; Department of Chemical Engineering, Widya Mandala Surabaya Catholic University, Surabaya, Indonesia; Institute of Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan; Department of Medical Research, Chung Shan Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan; Department of Optometry, Asia University, Taichung, Wufeng, Taiwan; Department of Medical Research, China Medical University Hospital, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan; Department of Food Science, Fu Jen Catholic UniversityXinzhuang Dist, New Taipei City, Taiwan