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'Cham', a new cultivar of Agrocybe aegerita, was bred by crossing between monokaryotic strains isolated from GMAG45021 and 'Beodeulsongi1ho' in Mushroom Research Station, Gyonggi Province A.R.E.S. in 2007. The optimum temperature for the mycelial growth of 'Cham' was 26 to 28° on PDA medium, whereas that of 'Beodeulsongi1ho'(control) was 24 to 26°. The optimum temperature for the primordial formation and fruiting body development of 'Cham', as well as 'Beodeulsongi1ho', was 18 to 20°. In the bottle cultivation, the spawn run period of 'Cham' at 22 to 23° was around 38 days and the period from scratching of inoculum to harvest was 12 days. These characteristics of 'Cham' were not different from those of 'Beodeulsongi1ho'. However, 'Cham' had more dark brown-colored, and thicker and stronger pileus, and longer and thicker stipe compared to that of 'Beodeulsongilho'. Freshness of 'Cham' was maintained for 10 days at the storage temperature of 4°, while that of 'Beodeulsongi1ho' was maintained for 8 days. Moreover, the yield of fruiting bodies of 'Cham' was 141 g/850 ml bottle, which was similar to that of 'Beodeulsongi1ho'. Both 'Cham' and 'Beodeulsongilho' have lower resistivity against Trichoderma virens and Trichoderma harzianum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The wild edible mushroom, Lentinus lepideus has recently been cultivated for commercial use in Korea. While the mushroom has been widely used for nutritional and medicinal purposes, the possible anti-hyperlipidemic action is unclear. The effects of dietary L. lepideus on plasma and feces biochemical and on the liver histological status were investigated in hypercholesterolemic rats. Six-wk-old female Sprague-Dawley albino rats were divided into three groups of 10 rats each. Biochemical and histological examinations were performed. A diet containing 5% L. lepideus fruiting bodies reduced plasma total cholesterol, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein, total lipid, phospholipids, and the ratio of low-density to high-density lipoprotein. Body weight was reduced. The diet did not adversely affect plasma biochemical and enzyme profiles. L. lepideus reduced significantly plasma β- and pre-β-lipoprotein, while α-lipoprotein content was increased. A histological study of hepatic cells by conventional hematoxylin-eosin and oil red O staining revealed normal findings for mushroom-fed hypercholesterolemic rats. The present study suggests that a diet supplemented with L. lepideus can provide health benefits by acting on the atherogenic lipid profile in hypercholesterolemic rats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]