BPI Seminar by Dr. Jian-Yong Wu
June 27, 2025, 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
Efficient Extraction, Molecular Properties & Nutraceutical Functions of Polysaccharides from Edible & Medicinal Fungi
Location: CHBE #202, 2360 East Mall Vancouver BC V6T 1Z4
Agenda
- 12:00 PM Intro by Dr. Feng Jiang
- 12:05 PM Presentation by Jian-Yong Wu, Department of Food Science and Nutrition (FSN), The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
- 12:45 PM Q&A
*Sandwiches & coffee will be provided from 11:50 AM.
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Abstract
Natural polysaccharides (PS) from edible and medicinal fungi, herbal plants and other biological sources have emerged as the most attractive components for the development of nutraceutical and therapeutic products thanks to their unique properties and wide range of bioactivities, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory effects. However, to study and utilize these natural products and their valuable properties, we need to overcome many technical challenges such as effective extraction and purification from the complex natural materials, characterization of the biopolymer structures, and elucidation of the structure-activity relationship and the biological mechanisms for the various health functions. Many recent studies have devoted to the health benefits of natural PS through their interactions with the gut microbiota or the prebiotic effects. This lecture will give a brief introduction of PS natural resources and the current trends, and impacts of PS research, and then present our recent studies and findings including the properties and bioactivities of exopolysaccharides from a medicinal fungus Cordyceps sinensis Cs-HK1 and effective extraction, simulated human GI digestion and gut fermentation of Shiitake mushroom Lentinus edodes PS (LePS).
About the Speaker
Dr. JY Wu is a full professor at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU). He received a PhD in Biochemical Engineering in 1994 from Queen’s University in Canada and M.Eng. in Chemical Engineering in 1985 from Tianjin University in China. He has published more than 200 peer-reviewed scientific papers, receiving nearly 10,000 citations and an H-index 63 on Scopus, and has been listed as the top 2% most cited scientist by Stanford University in 2021-2024. He is an editor for Carbohydrate Polymers and an editorial board member for International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, Nutrients (MDPI), Biotechnology and Applied Biochemistry (IUBMB), Food Quality & Safety (Oxford Academic) and Food Physics (KeAi). His major areas of research interest: Bioprocesses for medicinal fungi; Natural and bioactive polysaccharides; Functional foods, prebiotics and gut microbiota; Ultrasound-assisted processes for food and natural products; Phase change materials for thermal energy storage.