Summary: | The genus <i>Pleurotus</i> (Fr.) P. Kumm (Pleurotaceae, Basidiomycota) comprises a cosmopolitan group of mushrooms highly appreciated for their nutritional value and health-promoting benefits. Despite there being many studies about the phytochemical composition of <i>Pleurotus</i> spp., there are very few reports dealing with the phytochemistry, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of <i>P. columbinus</i> Quél. In this study, a mass spectrometry ultra-performance liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (UHPLC)-QTOF method, coupled with principal component analysis (PCA), was applied to the <i>P. columbinus</i> metabolome in order to investigate the influence of different agri-food residues as growth substrates for <i>P. columbinus</i> cultivation, on the bioactive chemical profile of fruiting bodies and evaluated their potential as antioxidants and antimicrobials. Additionally, a quantitative HPLC-DAD-MS analysis was conducted on phenolic and flavonoid compounds, that could explain, albeit partially, the observed biological effects of <i>P. columbinus</i> extracts. The qualitative metabolic profile identified 97 metabolites, whereas the quantitative HPLC-DAD-MS analysis confirmed the presence of phenolic and flavonoids, in the mushroom extracts, which also showed intrinsic scavenging/reducing and antimicrobial effects. The antibacterial effects were particularly evident against <i>Escherichia coli</i>, whereas <i>Tricophyton</i> and <i>Aspergillus</i> were the dermatophytes more sensitive to the mushroom extracts. The present study supports more in-depth investigations, aimed at evaluating the influence of growth substrate on <i>P. columbinus</i> antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. The extracts from <i>P. columbinus</i> revealed valuable sources of primary and secondary metabolites, thus suggesting potential applications in the formulation of food supplements with biological properties, above all in terms of antioxidant and antimicrobial properties.
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