Cold atmospheric plasma is a potent tool to improve cosmetic bioactive compounds in Ganoderma lucidum suspension cultures

• Plasma increases cosmetic compounds in cultures, except for astaxanthin. • Increases in carotenoids lycopene and β-carotene concentrations were obvious. • Bioactive compound levels exceed those in wild mushrooms, showing lab-cultured potential. • Boosting kojic acid through plasma treatments is important for anti-blemish products. • VDBD and SDBD are recommended for intracellular and extracellular phases, respectively. In the current decade, biological researchers have explored the use of cold plasma elicitors to increase the production of secondary metabolites in laboratory settings because of limitations in the natural harvesting of medicinal plants and fungi. This study investigated the impact of cold atmospheric plasma on changes in secondary metabolites and the cosmetic and health properties of Ganoderma lucidum via the use of intracellular (IN) and extracellular (EX) extracts. The treatments included plasma jet exposure for 1, 7, and 9 min in liquid culture medium and 1, 4, and 5 min in solid culture medium. Additionally, the dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) treatments consisted of volume DBD for 30, 45, and 90 s in solid culture medium; surface DBD for 30 s, 2, and 4 min in solid culture medium; and 1, 12, and 8 min in liquid culture medium. In the IN phase, the concentrations of ascorbic acid, total phenols, total flavonoids, total polysaccharides, lycopene, beta-carotene, and kojic acid in the superior plasma treatments were 1.75, 1.75, 6.7, 2, 11.6, 15, and 4.7 times higher than those in the control sample (CS), respectively. Additionally, the concentrations of total phenols, total flavonoids, total polysaccharides, lycopene, beta-carotene, and kojic acid in the superior plasma treatments were 2.5, 2.5, 2, 5, 10, and 1.5 times higher than those in the natural mushroom sample (NM), respectively. In the EX phase, the concentrations of ascorbic acid, total phenols, total flavonoids, total polysaccharides, lycopene, beta-carotene, and kojic acid in the superior plasma treatments were 2, 4, 9.4, 2, 7.7, 13, and 3 times greater than those in the CS, respectively. Furthermore, the concentrations of total phenols, total flavonoids, total polysaccharides, beta-carotene, and kojic acid in the superior plasma treatments were 3, 3.8, 2, 10.7, and 3 times greater than those in the NM treatment, respectively. Given the limitations of harvesting reishi from forests and the unique secondary compounds of this medicinal mushroom, the use of laboratory cultures treated with cold plasma is recommended to increase the production of cosmetic compounds.