Maitake (Grifola frondosa, reed canary grass, hen of the woods, Hui Shu Hua). The different names for Maitake are based on its form. It produces flaky tufts resembling a hen's tail and Maitake is the Japanese name, which is based on a combination of two words, i.e. Mai (dance) and Take (mushroom). It may seem that dancing has no connection with the mushroom, but it is said that finding the mushroom was a cause for dancing and rejoicing.

Maitake is a wood-boring fungus, it is a saprophyte. It takes nutrients from the host, but it doesn't significantly damage it, it doesn't kill it. It grows mainly at the base of deciduous trees. Most often it is oaks, elms, maples, rarely, but nevertheless, Maitake also chooses pine trees. Maitake inhabits mainly areas in the northern hemisphere, preferring colder climates. Although it has a large range where it grows, there are few Maitake to be found in the wild anymore. It can be found in Europe, especially in England, Norway, Denmark and Finland, as well as in North America, especially Canada, and of course in Asia. However, Maitake can also be found in some areas of Australia.

Maitake fruits are annual and have a spiky structure with many caps, which can make them weigh tens of kilograms. The hats are semi-circular and have a slightly wavy edge. They are greyish in colour, beige or milky when young, and are quite fragile, breaking easily. It appears during autumn, when it is also harvested.

There are not many mushrooms with which it can be confused, but there are some. One of them is Meripilus giganteus (giant fan fungus), which is also a chorus mushroom that grows in rosettes on the bases of oak trees, fortunately it is also an edible mushroom, so there is no risk of poisoning if the mushrooms are confused.

The modern history of the Maitake dates back to 1785 when Dickson named it Boletus frondosus. In 1821, this name was changed to Polyporus frondosus, the naturalist Fries being behind this action. In the same year, however, the Maitake was given its final name, thanks to the contribution of Samuel Frederic Gray, and was thus placed in the genus Grifola. The genus Grifola is also distinguished by having 8 chromosomes.

While Maitake was only recognised by science in the 18th century, the fungus was known in Asia long before that. Maitake is described in detail in written sources dating back to the Han Dynasty (206-210 AD) in the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing herbarium.

Nowadays, thanks to traditional Chinese medicine and new research, Maitake is becoming increasingly popular. To meet the demand, it is necessary to cultivate the mushroom artificially, i.e. commercially. This started around the 1980s. Maitake is cultivated in three ways. In bottles, which have a volume of about 800-1000 ml. The mushrooms are therefore small. In polypropylene bags with a substrate, which is often made of sawdust enriched with other ingredients, such as rice or wheat bran, added sugars... The third option is outdoor cultivation, but this method requires a lot of time, as it takes up to 6 months from the inoculation of the wood before the fruiting bodies are formed.

Composition of Maitake

Maitake has been much studied by scientists, mainly the composition, but also the effects, these of course depend on the composition.

Sugars, carbohydrates

As with other mushrooms, polysaccharides have the highest proportion of representation in the dry matter of Maitake. These are complex sugars, i.e. composed of multiple molecules of individual monosaccharides that are folded into chains and branch off in different ways. They can also bind to other components, e.g. amino acids, proteins, etc.

In Maitake, polysaccharides are polysaccharides which are coarse fibre, i.e. they are insoluble in water and not absorbable. They remain in the intestine and serve as 'food' for the bacteria of the intestinal microflora and help maintain intestinal motility. Another type of polysaccharides are water-soluble, which include glucans. In Maitake, β-D-glucans, i.e., β- (1-3)-D-glucans with branching at the β-(1-6) position, and also β- (1-6)-D-glucans, which have branches at the β-(1-3) positions, predominate. A large number of different studies have been conducted with glucans to verify their efficacy, e.g., they bind to cells of the immune system, thereby modulating their activity.

For Maitake, a prominent representative of the polysaccharides is grifolane, which is produced due to the presence of grifolane synthase in the fungus.

In addition to beta-glucans, which include grifolane, α-D-glucans and individual sugar molecules, i.e. glucose, trehalose and also mannitol, are also present in Maitake in smaller concentrations.

Maitake is so widely used that there is an attempt to standardise the products so that they all have the same guaranteed composition. Different fractions are created that are full of polysaccharides. There are these: D-fraction, MD-fraction, SX-fraction, Z-fraction. To be labelled as such, the product must meet Japanese ISO standards, and these fractions are also patented in the USA. Because the fractions are identical, they can be used in different studies and the results are then more usable, the studies are repeatable and easier to verify.

Amino acids and proteins

Maitake, like other mushrooms, is also a source of amino acids and protein. Amino acids are most often divided according to whether the human body can produce them itself, i.e. non-essential, and those that must be supplied to the body, i.e. essential. Both types of amino acids are present in Maitake. Threonine, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, alanine, proline, methionine, valine, lysine, serine, leucine, isoleucine, phenylalanine, arginine, glycine, histidine, etc. are the highest concentration. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins, but they are also a source of energy in times of "need", as some can be converted into glucose.

Proteins are also found in Maitake. Perhaps the most important are enzymes. Since the Maitake is a wood-boring fungus, it must be able to split wood to extract nutrients from it. It therefore contains hemicellulase, chitinase, amylase, pectinase, lactase, but it also contains enzymes that reduce oxidative stress, such as peroxidase

Maitake is also rich in various types of enzymes that can help in the synthesis or, on the contrary, the degradation of certain components, etc. In Maitake there are, for example, "degrading" cleaving enzymes such as hemicellulase, chitinase, amylase, pectinase, lactase, or the peroxide neutralizing enzyme, i.e. peroxidase. Other interesting enzymes are those that are able to cleave proteins, these are proteases and endopeptidases. Peptidyl-Lysmetalloendopeptidase is able to cleave gluten, i.e. to break it down into smaller subunits that might not trigger the adverse immune system reaction that we encounter, for example, in people with coeliac disease.

Apart from enzymes, other proteins in Maitake are also hydrophobins. These proteins are rich in the amino acid cysteine. These are very stable proteins that have the ability to adhere to surfaces. This is also used in industry when it is necessary to cover a surface with, for example, nanoparticles. Hydrophobins can also help emulsify or purify other proteins, which is beneficial in the food industry.

We have already mentioned the standardized fractions of polysaccharides, but there are also protein fractions created, one of them is the MLP-fraction, which contains low molecular weight proteins. The fraction is widely used in studies on cancer and immune cells. With good results.

Fatty acids, fats

Fatty acids, but not cholesterol, are present in mushrooms in addition to polysaccharides and proteins. Maitake contains both fatty acids that are saturated and those that have double bonds, i.e. are unsaturated. Unsaturated fatty acids have been associated with positive effects on processes in the human body. They are also known as PUFAs. Maitake contains more unsaturated than saturated acids. These include oleic acid and linoleic acid. Other representatives of fats are triacylglycerols, which can have up to 54 carbons. These include1 (3)-pal mitoyl-2-oleoyl-3 (1)-olein, 1 (3)-oleoyl-2-oleoyl-3 (1)-linolein, triolein and 1-linoleoyl-2-oleoyl-3-linolein.

Other fatty compounds in Maitake are sphingosine ceramides, the names of which are very long and confusing: (2S, 3S, 4R)-2-[(2'R)-2'-hydroxydocosanoylamino]-1, 3, 4-octadecanetriol, (2S, 3S, 4R)-2-[(2'R)-2'-hydroxytricosanoylamino]-1, 3, 4-octadecanetriol, (2S, 3S, 4R)-2-[(2'R)-2'-hydroxypentacosanoylamino]-1, 3, 4-octadecanetriol and (2S, 3S, 4R)-2-[(2'R)-2'-hydroxyhexacosanoylamino]-1, 3, 4-octadecanetriol. Ceramides are found in cell membranes and are also an important component of the skin.

Organic acids

Organic compounds are an important component of Maitake. They have both biological importance and give the mushroom its flavour and aroma. Maitake contains, for example, malic, pyroglutamic, lactic, formic, succinic, citric and acetic acids.

Minerals and vitamins

Maitake also contains minerals and vitamins. The mineral composition also depends on the environment in which the mushroom grows, what it takes in. In general, however, these are potassium, sodium, phosphorus, calcium, zinc, selenium... and vitamins are represented mainly by those of the B group and ergosterol, i.e. vitamin D2. Beta-carotene and vitamin C are also present in smaller amounts.

Other substances

Maitake is also full of phenolic compounds, which are known to neutralize free radicals. Examples include gallic acid and the flavonoid quercetin.

An important component of Maitake is also grifolin, which belongs to the benzenediols - 2-trans,trans-farnesyl-5-methyl resorcinol, which has many biological effects.

An interesting component of Maitake is also lysophosphatidylethanolamine, which is able to activate many intracellular pathways, thereby affecting cell activity.