A total of 23 mushroom extracts were prepared using the newly developed Natural Form Extraction(NFE) method and screened for anti-ageing activity in Drosophila populations.The amounts of extractives obtained from broken-walled spores of G.lucidum,and from C.versicolor and L.edodes fruit bodies,were markedly higher when the NFE method was adopted compared with the more conventional Thermal Water Extraction(TWE) method.Furthermore,in the case of C.versicolor,the Drosophila longevity prolongation rate for extracts prepared using the NFE method was almost three times higher.Optimal dosage tests revealed that A.cylindracea extract added to the basic Drosophila diet at a concentration of 20 g/L was most effective in prolonging the longevity of both male and female populations(prolongation rates of 43.2% and 20.3% for male and female populations,respectively).In the case of A.auricula extract,5 g/L and 20 g/L dosages prolonged longevity in male Drosophila populations to a similar degree whereas 20 g/L was most effective in female populations.Of the 23 mushroom materials tested,extracts of C.versicolor,A.auricula,Yuewei G.lucidum spores,A.cylindracea,T.decora,C.dryophila and T.matsutake exhibited significant Drosophila anti-ageing activity,especially in the case of male populations.
