Effect of different cooking methods on the nutrients, antioxidant and hypoglycemic activities of Pleurotus cornucopiae in vitro simulated digestion

To determine the chemical composition, nutritional value, and bioactivities of Pleurotus cornucopiae, the effects of six different cooking methods (boiling, steaming, microwaving, stir-frying, frying, and roasting) on nutrients, antioxidant and hypoglycemic activities were, for the first time, evaluated using in vitro simulated digestion. In contrast to frying, microwaving caused the lowest nutrients loss rate (protein: 11.81%, fat: 13.26%) and produced the highest α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibitory activities. The fatty acid composition differed from that of undigested samples, frying and stir-frying released the most unsaturated fatty acids (especially oleic and linoleic acids), while steaming and microwaving released the most saturated fatty acids. Microwaving caused a lower mineral loss, whereas frying released the highest mineral content after digestion. Water-based cooking methods (boiling, steaming, and microwaving) had the lowest antioxidant activities but the highest hypoglycemic activities. The above data provides a valuable reference for the scientific cooking of P. cornucopiae.