Chemical Characterization, Antioxidant Activity, Lactic Acid Bacteria Growth-Supporting Effect, and Polysaccharide-Based Formulations of Huitlacoche (Ustilago maydis) Extracts

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Abstract
Huitlacoche (Ustilago maydis) is an edible mushroom of interest as a source of bioactive compounds. This study characterized raw (RwH) and dry-cooked (DckH) huitlacoche extracts, evaluated their antioxidant activity and effects on lactic acid bacterial growth, and examined polysaccharide-based formulations prepared with these extracts. GC–MS analysis of the hexane fractions tentatively identified fatty acid ethyl esters, particularly ethyl linoleate, ethyl oleate, and ethyl palmitate, as major constituents based on relative peak areas, with more compound assignments obtained for RwH than for DckH. HPLC retention times and UV spectra matched those of authentic standards for 4-hydroxybenzoic, vanillic, p-coumaric, and ferulic acids, supporting their tentative identification. NMR analysis of isolated compounds confirmed the presence of 4-hydroxybenzoic acid and 6-methoxy-2-benzoxazolinone. RwH exhibited higher total phenolic content and greater radical-scavenging activity in the ABTS and DPPH assays. Both extracts supported lactic acid bacterial growth at 1 mg/mL. Chitosan- and alginate-based formulations exhibited distinct morphological features, while DLS measurements of the chitosan-based formulations revealed heterogeneous hydrodynamic size distributions. These findings highlight differences between raw and dry-cooked huitlacoche extracts and provide an initial characterization of polysaccharide-based formulations, laying the groundwork for further evaluation of extract retention, stability, and release.

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