Proximate Composition and Phytochemical Characterization of a Commercial and Two Wild Strains of Ganoderma Lucidum Collected From Tree Stumps in Benin City, Nigeria

Ganoderma lucidum is a fungus that is used for the treatment of diverse chronic conditions in many countries. This study used standard chemical laboratory methodologies to assess the proximate composition and phytochemicals present in a commercial strain (W1) and two wild strains (W2 and W3) of Ganoderma lucidum that were obtained from wood stumps in a tropical rainforest in Benin City, Nigeria. The results showed that the three Ganoderma strains were significantly different in their proximate composition (P<0.05). The proximate composition of W1 was 1.74±0.06 %, 18.40±0.04%, 13.56±0.03%, 2.29±0.04%, 3.88±0.02% and 60.15±0.13% for ash, moisture, crude protein, crude lipid, crude fibre and carbohydrate respectively. The commercial strain had lower levels of ash, crude fibre and carbohydrates but higher levels of moisture, crude protein and crude lipid relative to the wild strains (P<0.05). The concentrations of phytochemicals among the strains were significantly different except for steroids. Relative to the wild strains, higher levels of phenol and hydrogen cyanide, but lower levels of alkaloids, flavonoid, tannin, glycoside, terpenoid, phytate, oxalate and anthroquinones was detected in the commercial strains (P<0.05). The wild strains because of their higher concentrations of phytochemicals are expected to be more potent.