Determination of antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of Agaricus bisporus from Romanian markets

The antioxidant action of ethanolic extract from Agaricus bisporus which is available in the supermarkets of Bucharest, Romania, was assessed by determining its reducing power and its radical scavenging activity. The determinations were made by analyzing the freeze-dried ethanolic extract. The radical scavenging activity was determined using 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), superoxide radical, nitric oxide radical and hydrogen peroxide scavenging assays. Total phenols, flavonoids, ascorbic acid, β-carotene and lycopene were also determined. The ethanolic extract from A. bisporus could be a natural antioxidant and antimicrobial source against the tested organisms, as demonstrated by the minimum inhibitory concentration values.