WO2005002362A1

WO2005002362A1 - Manufacturing method for extract of phellinus linteus, the extract and food compositions comprising thereof

Info

Publication number: WO2005002362A1
Application number: PCT/KR2004/001605
Authority: WO
Inventors: Haeng-Lan Kim; Hye-Gyeong Jeon; Kwi-Jeong Han; Eun-Yeong Choe; Yong-Ju Choi
Original assignee: Republic Of Korea(Management : Rural Development Administration); Jinju Sangwhang Mushroom Agricultural Management Association
Priority date: 2003-07-04
Filing date: 2004-06-30
Publication date: 2005-01-13
Also published as: JP2007526754A; JP4361563B2

Abstract

The present invention provides a method for producing Phellinus linteus extract, comprising the steps of drying and grinding Phellinus linteus to obtain powder thereof, and I) adding to the powder less than a 15-fold excess of water, relative to the weight of the Phellinus linteus powder, and extracting Phellinus linteus extract therefrom at a temperature of 100°C for 5 hours; or ii) adding to the powder less than a 15-fold excess of water, relative to the weight of the Phellinus linteus powder, and extracting Phellinus linteus extract therefrom at a boiling point of 121°C for 1 hour under pressure of 15 lbs (1 kg/cm2); or iii) adding to the powder less than a 15-fold excess of 50 to 75% aqueous ethanol or methanol solution, relative to the weight of the Phellinus linteus powder, and extracting Phellinus linteus extract therefrom at a temperature of 60°C for 5 hours. Further, the present invention provides a food composition comprising the Phellinus linteus extract obtained by the same method.

Description

MANUFACTURING METHOD FOR EXTRACT OF PHELLINUS LINTEUS, THE EXTRACT AND FOOD COMPOSITIONS COMPRISING THEREOF

[Technical Field] The present invention relates to Phellinus linteus extract, having an excellent antioxidative ability, a method for producing the same, and a food composition comprising the same.

[Background Art] Phellinus linteus, also called "Sanghwang" in Chinese medicine, is a very rare perennial mushroom belonging to Basidiomycetes that grows on the stumps of dead wild mulberry trees inhabiting alpine regions, and does not easily propagate. Until recently, Phellinus linteus has been primarily used for pharmaceutical materials, but has recently received a great deal of interest regarding its application in food products since its use as a foodstuff has been approved by the Korea Food & Drug Administration. A great deal of attention has been directed to Phellinus linteus as a material for health foods and medicinal products, as various pharmacological functions such as immunity enhancement, anti-cancer effects, and the like have been scientifically proven. Further, as interest m the functionality of Phellinus linteus has increased recently, nutraceuticals having both taste and functionality have been demanded, instead of a pursuit of only the functionality in the form of a medicine. However, at present, applications of Phellinus linteus as food products are few, and only a few studies have been done to find a use thereof as beverages. For example, there has been an attempt to develop an ingestible functional beverage by inoculating mushroom spores into a variety of ingestible natural substrates, followed by culturing. However, this attempt failed to acquire popularity and did not take into account palatability, and thereby it experienced much difficulty hi commercialization thereof. In addition, this attempt is directed to the use of Phellinus linteus mycelium, not Phellinus linteus per se, and thus it does not make a contribution to the consumption of Phellinus linteus (fruit body). Therefore, there is a need for development of food products capable of promoting consumption of Phellinus linteus and being easily utilized by consumers. Still further, there is much difficulty in eating Phellinus linteus by itself. Even when it is used as extract, a conventional extraction process takes a prolonged time of more than 12 hours, thus causing inconvenience with respect to time period, energy and labor. Hence, in order to use Phellinus linteus in a vaiiety of food products, a method is urgently required which is capable of efficiently extracting Phellinus linteus extract.

[Disclosure] [Technical Problem] Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a method for efficiently producing Phellinus linteus extract having a high antioxidative ability.

[Technical Solution] To accomplish the above object, the present invention provides a method for producing Phellinus linteus extract, comprising the steps of drying and grinding Phellinus linteus to obtain powder thereof; adding to the powder a 10- to 15-fold excess of water, relative to the weight of the Phellinus linteus powder; and extracting Phellinus linteus extract therefrom at a temperature of 100°C for 5 hours. The present invention, also provides a method for producing Phellinus linteus extract, comprising the steps of drying and grinding Phellinus linteus to obtain powder thereof; adding to the powder a 10- to 15- fold excess of water, relative to the weight of the Phellinus linteus powder; and extracting Phellinus linteus extract therefrom for one hour at a boiling point of 121°C under pressure of 15 lbs (1 kg/cm²)- The present invention also provides a method for producing Phellinus linteus extract, comprising the steps of drying and grinding Phellinus linteus to obtain powder thereof; adding to the powder a 10- to 15- fold excess of 50 to 75% aqueous ethanol or methanol solution, relative to the weight of the Phellinus linteus powder; and extracting Phellinus linteus extract therefrom at a temperature of 60°C for 5 hours. In the above methods for producing Phellinus linteus extract, it is preferred to grind Phellinus linteus into a size of 20-mesh in the step of drying and grinding. The present invention further provides Phellinus linteus extract obtained by the above-mentioned methods and a food composition comprising the same.

[Description of the Drawings] The above and other objects, features and other advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a graph showing changes in content of soluble solids with a heating time and an amount of water added in hot-water extracting of Phellinus linteus; Fig. 2 is a graph showing an electronic -donating ability (EDA-%) by DDPH, which is an index representing an antioxidative ability of Phellinus linteus extract, with a heating time and an amount of water added in hot- water extracting of Phellinus linteus; and Fig. 3 is a graph showing an electronic-donating ability (EDA-%) of DDPH, which is an index representing an antioxidative ability of Phellinus linteus extract in hot-water extracting of Phellinus linteus, extracting by heating under pressure. [Best Mode] Now, the present invention will be described in more detail as below. The present invention provides a method for producing Phellinus linteus extract, comprising the steps of drying and grinding Phellinus linteus to obtain powder thereof, and i) adding to the powder a 10- to 15-fold excess of water, relative to the weight of the Phellinus linteus powder, and extracting Phellinus linteus extract therefrom at a temperature of 100°C for 5 hours; or ii) adding to the powder a 10- to 15-fold excess of water, relative to the weight of the Phellinus linteus powder, and extracting Phellinus linteus extract therefrom at a boiling point of 121°C for 1 hour under pressure of 15 lbs (1 kg/cm²); or iii) adding to the powder a 10- to 15-fold excess of 50 to 75% aqueous ethanol or methanol solution, relative to the weight of the Phellinus linteus powder, and extracting Phellinus linteus extract therefrom at a temperature of 60°C for 5 hours. When an amount of the extractant used exceeds 15-fold relative to the weight of the Phellinus linteus powder, the content of soluble solids extracted (Brix %) is decreased and antioxidative ability is lowered. Thus, it is preferred to use less than a 15-fold amount of the extractant. In connection with an extraction time, the antioxidative ability of the extract gradually increases up to 5 hours, but there is almost no difference between a 5-hour extract and a more than 5-hour extract. Therefore, 5-hour extraction is most economical and efficient. When pressure extraction is performed, one-hour extract exhibited the highest antioxidative ability. The pressure extraction may provide an effect of killing some harmful microorganisms contained in Phellinus linteus. When methanol or ethanol is used as the extractant, it is possible to produce an extract having an antioxidative ability 1.5 to 2 times higher than when water is used as the extractant. In addition, the present invention provides Phellinus linteus extract produced by the above method for producing the same, and further a food composition comprising the Phellinus linteus extract. In accordance with the present invention, a homogeneous mixture of the extract and necessary additives in a predetermined ratio may provide a food composition suitable for desired application. The food compositions comprising the Phellinus linteus extract obtained by the present invention may be applicable to a variety of food products such as beverages, teas, noodles, baked goods, and confectionaries such as candies or chewing gums. These food products may be prepared by a conventional method for preparing the compositions of the food product with further addition of the Phellinus linteus extract, in accordance with the present invention. In particular, the present invention provides noodle compositions comprising the Phellinus linteus extract obtained by the above production methods. The noodles comprise vermicelli noodles, ramen noodles, and the like. In this case, it is preferred to prepare the Phellinus linteus extract by repeating the same process three times. Additionally, when preparing noodles containing the Phellinus linteus extract, it is preferred to use the Phellinus linteus extract as kneading water. Preferably, among the above-mentioned noodle compositions, the vermicelli noodle composition may comprise a mixture of wheat flour and potato starch in a ratio of 80-90: 10-20, as starch raw material, and 1.5 to 1.9% of salt (relative to the starch raw material, w/w), 0.15 to 0.19% of alkaline chemicals (Na₂CO₃ : K₂C0₃ = 1: 1, relative to the starch raw material, w/w) and 32 to 36% of the Phellinus linteus extract (relative to the starch raw material, w/v). These vermicelli noodles exemplifying such a noodle containing the Phellinus linteus extract, exhibit a strong tensile force and upon cooking, low water absorptivity and bulking, and thereby they do not easily swell. Preferably, a Ramen noodle composition may comprise a mixture of wheat flour, potato starch and starch acetate in a ratio of 80-86:9-13:5-7, as starch raw material, and 1.00 to 1.42% of salt (relative to the starch raw material, w/w), 0.14 to 0.18% of alkaline chemicals (Na₂C0₃ : K₂C0₃ = 2:8, relative to the starch raw material, w/w) and 33 to 37% of the Phellinus linteus extract (relative to the starch raw material, w/v). Usually, the Ramen noodles are fried in the course of preparation thereof. In this connection, the Ramen noodle products prepared using the Ramen noodle composition comprising the Phellinus linteus extract in accordance with the present invention may exhibit an effect of inhibiting acidification of fat and oil components due to an antioxidative ability of Phellinus linteus, even when fried. Therefore, it is expected that consumers may readily intake the Phellinus linteus extract, having an excellent anticancer effect and an antioxidative ability, from the food composition comprising the Phellinus linteus extract in accordance with the present invention.

[Mode for Invention] EXAMPLES Now, the present invention is described in more detail with reference to following working examples and test examples, but it should be understood that the invention is not construed as being limited thereto. Example 1 Preparation of Phellinus linteus extract

Preparing Phellinus linteus extract (1) 5 kg of Phellinus linteus was dried and ground with a mixer to obtain powder having a size of 20 mesh. 75 L of water was added thereto and heat extraction was performed at a temperature of 100°C for 5 hours, followed by filtration. The same procedure was repeated three times to obtain Phellinus linteus extract.

Preparing Phellinus linteus extract (2) 5 kg of Phellinus linteus was dried and ground with a mixer to obtain powder having a size of 20 mesh. 75 L of water was added thereto and extracted for 1 hour at a boiling point of 121°C under pressure of 15 lbs (1 kg/cm²), followed by filtration. The same procedure was repeated three times to obtain Phellinus linteus extract-

Preparing Phellinus linteus extract (3) 5 kg of Phellinus linteus was dried and ground with a mixer to obtain powder having a size of 20 mesh. 75 L of ethanol(50%) was added thereto and heat extracting was performed at a temperature of 100°C for 5 hours, followed by filtration. The same procedure was repeated three times to obtain Phellinus linteus extract.

Test Example 1 Changes in contents of soluble solids (Brix %) upon hot-water extraction of Phellinus linteus With variation of the extraction time period from 0 hour to 20 hours, changes in content of soluble solids (Brix %) for extract prepared using varying amounts of water, upon hot-water extraction of Phellinus linteus extract, were determined. The results are as shown in Fig. 1. As can be seen from Fig. 1, when hot -water extracting Phellinus linteus, the content of soluble solids (Brix %) gradually increased starting at hour 2 and continued up to hour 20, but when the addition amount of water is less than 15-fold and more than 20-fold, relative to the weight of Phellinus linteus powder, a difference between contents of the solids was seen from hour 2. Thus, it was confirmed that addition of up to a 15-fold amount of water was optimal for hot- water extraction of Phellinus linteus. Test Example 2 Determination of an antioxidative ability of Phellinus linteus extract In order to determine the antioxidative ability of Phellinus linteus extract, an electronic-donating ability thereof, which is an index representing antioxidative ability, was measured as follows. 1 g of Phellinus linteus extract sample was placed in 75% methanol and extracted in a thermostat tank with agitation, followed by filtration. Next, 2 ml of filtrate was added to 0.5 ml of 1.6667 x 10^"4M DPPH (1, 1- diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl) solution and reacted for 30 min in a dark room, followed by measuring absorbance at 517 nm. The electronic- donating ability was calculated by measuring a decrease in absorbance of the control group, using the following equation: absorbance of sample EDA (%) = [1 - ] x l00 absorbance of control group

The results are shown in Table 1 and graphically in Fig. 2.

Table 1 Antioxidative ability of Phellinus linteus extract in hot- water extraction (electronic-donating ability by DPPH) (unit: %)

As can be seen from Table 1 and Fig. 2, the electron-donating ability of DPPH representing the antioxidative ability (DPPH radical-scavenging test) was about 60% when hot-water extracted with a 10- and 15-fold addition amount of water for 5 hours, and there is no significant difference between the 10- and '15-fold-addition amounts of water, up to 20 hours. Further, at more than a 20-fold addition of water, the electronic-donating ability was less than 50%, up to 20 hours. Fig. 3 shows the antioxidative ability of Phellinus linteus extract in hot-water extraction under pressure. As can be seen from Fig. 3, the electronic-donating ability was highest one hour after extraction. The higher the added amount of water is, the lower the electronic-donating ability. When organic solvents (50% and 75% ethanol, and 50% and 75% methanol) were used as extractants, all the Phellinus linteus extract exhibited the electronic-donating ability of about 88% level as the antioxidative abilities, as shown in Table 2.

Table 2 Antioxidative ability of Phellinus linteus extract in organic solvent extraction (electronic-donating ability by DPPH) (unit: %)

Therefore, it was confirmed that the present method is an optimal method for extracting Phellinus linteus extract. Example 2 Preparation of vermicelli noodles using hot-water extracted Phellinus linteus Recipe: wheat flour 90 + potato starch 10, as starch raw material, and 1.7% salt (relative to starch raw material, w/w), 0.17% alkaline chemicals

(Na₂C0₃ : K₂C0₃ = 1 : 1, relative to staich raw material, w/w) and 34% Phellinus linteus extract (relative to starch raw material, w/v). Procedure: wheat flour, potato starch, salt and alkaline chemicals were mixed for 5 min, then the hot water extract obtained in Example 1 was slowly added thereto and mixed together for 15 min. The mixture was formed into a ball and passed through a noodle roller to form noodle strands having a thickness of 0.8 cm, which were then passed through a press roller, 15 to 20 times, to have a final thickness of 2 mm; they were then cut into 2.0 mm x 1.2 mm cross sections (rectangular).

Comparative Example 1 Preparation of vermicelli noodles using Phellinus linteus powder Vermicelli noodles were prepared by replacing a portion of wheat flour with Phellinus linteus powder. The procedure is the same as in Example 2 and the recipe is as follows. Recipe: wheat flour 88 + potato starch 10 + Phellinus linteus powder 2, as starch raw material, and 1.7% salt (relative to starch raw material, w/w), 0.17% alkaline chemicals (Na₂C0₃ : K C0₃ = 1 : 1, relative to staich raw material, w/w), and 34% water (relative to starch raw material, w/v).

Comparative Example 2 Preparation of vermicelli noodles using 50% of hot water Phellinus linteus extract relative to Example 2. The procedure is the same as in Example 2, and the recipe is as follows. Recipe: wheat flour 90 + potato staich 10, as starch raw material, 1.7% salt (relative to starch raw material, w/w), 0.17% alkaline chemicals (Na₂C0₃ : K₂C0₃ = 1 : 1, relative to starch raw material, w/w), 17% Phellinus linteus extract (relative to starch raw material, w/v) and 17% water (relative to starch raw material, w/v).

Example 3 Preparation of ramen noodles using hot water extract of Phellinus linteus Recipe: wheat flour 83 + potato starch 11 + starch acetate 6 as starch raw material, 1.22% salt (relative to starch raw material, w/w), 0.16% alkaline chemicals (Na₂C0₃ : K₂C0₃ = 2 : 8, relative to starch raw material, w/w) and 35% Phellinus linteus extract (relative to starch raw material, w/v). Procedure: wheat flour, starches, salt and alkaline chemicals were mixed for 5 min; the hot water extract obtained in Example 1 was slowly added thereto and mixed together for 15 min. The mixture was formed into a ball and passed through a noodle roller to form noodle strands having a thickness of 2 cm, which were then passed through a 7 stage press roller, and then cut into 1.8 mm x 1.2 mm cross sections (round). Immediately after cutting, they were steamed at a temperature of 100°C for 150 sec and 130 g of the steamed noodles was immediately fried in palm oil at a temperature of 143 to 145°C for 90 sec.

Comparative Example 3 Preparation of ramen noodles using 50% of hot water Phellinus linteus extract relative to Example 3. A procedure is the same as in Example 3 and a recipe is as follows. Recipe: wheat flour 83 + potato starch 11 + starch acetate 6 as starch raw material, 1.22% salt (relative to starch raw material, w/w), 0.16% alkaline chemicals (Na₂C0₃ : K C0₃ = 2 : 8, relative to starch raw material, w/w), 17.5% Phellinus linteus extract (relative to starch raw material, w/v) and 17.5% water (relative to starch raw material, w/v).

Test Example 3 Quality characteristics of fresh vermicelli noodles using hot water Phellinus linteus extract

Using a Xtrad program of a Texture analyzer TA-XT2 (GB) to mechanically determine a texture of noodles, and spaghetti tensile grips to determine tensile force, one noodle strand was applied to grips at both ends and a force at breaking (g) was measured by pulling the grips. The TPA test was perfoπned to measure a value shown when 8 g of noodles were placed in a cylindrical cell (H5 x D5) and then pressed with a 2.5 cm diameter probe (SMS P/25). Chromaticity was measured with a Color Spectrophotometer (Macbeth Color-Eye 3100, USA) and expressed as values L, a and b in Hunter's manner. L, a and b represent, brightness (100 = white, 0 = black), redness (- = green, + = red) and yellowness (- = blue, + = yellow), respectively.

Table 3 Quality characteristics of fresh vermicelli noodles using hot water Phellinus linteus extract

As can be seen from the above results, fresh noodles of Comparative Example 1 in which Phellinus linteus powder was added, exhibited low tensile force, hardness and elasticity, thus being easily broken and having poor texture. Whereas, the fresh noodles of Example 2, in which hot water Phellinus linteus extract was used in kneading, exhibited excellent noodle characteristics such as relatively high tensile force and elasticity, resulting in a chewy texture, and lower adherence. Thereby noodle strands did not readily adhere to one another, as compared to the group in which no Phellinus linteus was added, Comparative Example 1 in which Phellinus linteus powder was added, and Comparative Example 2 in which 50% of hot water Phellinus linteus extiact was used.

Test Example 4 Quality characteristics of cooked vermicelli noodles using hot water Phellinus linteus extract Quality characteristics of cooked noodles were examined in the same manner as in Test Example 3. The results are shown in Table 4. For this purpose, 50 g of fresh noodles were boiled in 100 ml of boiling water for 10 min and cooled in cold water for 30 sec. They were then drained for 3 min to remove water, and volume, water absorptivity and physical properties thereof were measured.

Table 4 Quality characteristics of cooked vermicelli noodles using hot water

Phellinus linteus extiact

As can be seen from the above test results, cooked noodles of Comparative Example 1, in which Phellinus linteus powder was added, exhibited a high water absorptivity resulting in easy swelling and bulging, a high turbidity of a broth resulting in a thick broth, low fensile force, hardness and elasticity, resulting in breaking easily and exhibiting a poor texture, as compared to the Phellinus linteus non-added group. Whereas, a cooked noodle of Example 2, in which the hot water Phellinus linteus extract was used in kneading, exhibited excellent noodle characteristics such as a relatively high tensile force and elasticity, resulting in a chewy texture, and a lower water absorptivity and bulk increase upon cooking, thereby not easily swelling and bulging, as compared to the group in which no Phellinus linteus was added, Comparative Example 1 in which Phellinus linteus powder was added, and Comparative Example 2 in which 50% of hot water Phellinus linteus extract was used.

Test Example 5 Organoleptic characteristics of vermicelli noodles using hot water Phellinus linteus extract Organoleptic test for vermicelli noodles was performed to evaluate palatability. In accordance with this, palatability was evaluated of boiled noodle strands per se and the noodles after soaking in a broth, respectively. At this time, organoleptic characteristics such as color, flavor, texture, taste, and the like were evaluated in accordance with a 9-point scoring method (9: very good, 7: good, 5: moderate, 3: poor, 1: very poor). Table 5 Organoleptic characteristics of cooked vermicelli noodles using hot water Phellinus linteus extract (unit: point)

Example 2 in which kneading water was replaced with 100% of hot water Phellinus linteus extract, acquired approximately 6.0 points in total palatability, and in paiticular, exhibited better characteristics in texture and taste compared to the group in which no Phellinus linteus was added, and Comparative Examples 1 and 2. Additionally, organoleptic characteristics of the cooked noodles after addition of the broth, were superior to the control groups.

Test Example 6 Organoleptic characteristics of ramen noodles using hot water

Phellinus linteus extract Organoleptic characteristics of ramen noodles were examined in the same manner as in Test Example 5.

Table 6 Organoleptic characteristics of ramen noodles using hot water Phellinus linteus extract (unit: point)

Where Phellinus linteus powder is added in preparing vermicelli noodles, formation of noodle strands and a noodle-making ability were poor, and thus ramen noodles were prepared by adding the liquid extract only. Boiled ramen noodles of Example 3, in which kneading water was replaced with 100% Phellinus linteus extract, showed points of more than 5.0 in total palatability and was excellent particularly in texture and taste, as compared to the group which no Phellinus linteus was used and Comparative Example 3, in which 50% of hot water Phellinus linteus extract was used. Cooked ramen noodles after addition of the broth, in both Example 3 and Comparative Example 3, exhibited superior organoleptic characteristics over the Phellinus linteus non-added group.

Test Example 7 Antioxidative ability of the Phellinus linteus extract-added ramen noodles (electronic-donating ability by DPPH)

Electronic-donating ability, which is one of indices representing antioxidative ability, was determined to evaluate functionality of ramen noodles. Absorbance was determined in the same manner as in Test example 2, and the electronic-donating ability was then calculated.

Table 7 Antioxidative ability of the Phellinus linteus extract-added ramen noodles (electionic-donating ability by DPPH) (unit: %)

As can be seen from Table 7, ramen noodles using 100% of hot water Phellinus linteus extiact as kneading water, exhibited the antioxidative ability of 116% relative to that of the Phellinus linteus non-added ramen noodles or Comparative Example 3, in which 50% of hot water Phellinus linteus extract. Therefore, it was found from these results that replacement of the kneading water with 100% of hot water Phellinus linteus extract retards acidification of fat components occurring during preparation of fried ramen noodles. Example 4 Beverage containing Phellinus linteus extract

0.01 to 2% by weight citric acid, 0.1 to 1% by weight vitamin C, 1 to 5% by weight honey, 0.5 to 3% by weight licorice extract, and 0.05 to 0.2% by weight spice were weighed and mixed with 1 to 15% by weight Phellinus linteus extract prepared in Example 1. They were charged to a container and purified water was added to 100% by weight of final amount to prepare a beverage containing the Phellinus linteus extract- Example 5 Sweet candy containing Phellinus linteus extract

30 to 55% by weight starch syrup, 20 to 40% by weight raw sugar and 5 to 10% by weight purified water were mixed and boiled at a temperature of 120 ^°C for 15 min. Thereafter, 1 to 15% by weight Phellinus linteus extract prepared in Example 1 and 0.01 to 0.05% by weight spice were added and mixed thereto and heated again at a temperature of 150°C for 10 min to prepare sweet candy stock solution. The resulting stock solution was poured into a mold and quenched to prepare a sweet candy containing the Phellinus linteus extract.

[Industrial Applicability] As apparent from the above description, in accordance with the present invention, it is possible to efficiently prepare Phellinus linteus extiact having a high antioxidative ability within a short period. Further, provision of a food composition comprising the Phellinus linteus extract prepared by the above-described method of the present invention enables consumers to easily intake Phellinus linteus extract, having an anticancer effect and a high antioxidative ability, in daily life. Additionally, such a food composition comprising the Phellinus linteus extract exhibits a delayed oxidation thereof,- and in the case of fried noodles such as ramen; or noodles, confectioneries and the like, containing fat and oil components, acidification thereof may be inhibited. Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims.

Claims

[CLAIMS] 1. A method for producing Phellinus linteus extiact, comprising the steps of: drying and grinding Phellinus linteus to obtain powder thereof; adding to the powder a 10- to 15-fold excess of water, relative to the weight of the Phellinus linteus powder; and extracting Phellinus linteus extract therefrom at a temperature of 100°C for 5 hours. 2. A method for producing Phellinus linteus extract, comprising the steps of: drying and grinding Phellinus linteus to obtain powder thereof; adding to the powder a 10- to 15-fold excess of water, relative to the weight of the Phellinus linteus powder; and extracting Phellinus linteus extract therefrom for 1 hour at a boiling point of 121°C under pressure of 15 lbs (1 kg/cm²) to produce Phellinus linteus extract. 3. A method for producing Phellinus linteus extract, comprising the steps of: drying and grinding Phellinus linteus to obtain powder thereof; adding to the powder a 10- to 15-fold excess of 50 to 75% aqueous ethanol or methanol solution, relative to the weight of the Phellinus linteus powder; extracting Phellinus linteus extract tlierefrom at a temperature of 60°C for 5 hours. 4. The method as set forth in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the dried Phellinus linteus is ground into a size of 20 mesh to use. 5. Phellinus linteus extract obtained by the method as set forth in any one of claims 1 to 3. 6. A food composition comprising Phellinus linteus extract obtained by the method as set forth in any one of claims 1 to 3. 7. The food composition as set forth in claim 6, wherein the food is one selected from the group consisting of beverages, teas, noodles, baked goods, and confectioneries, such as sweet candies and chewing gums. 8. The food composition as set forth in claim 7, wherein the noodle type is vermicelli or ramen. 9. The food composition as set forth in claim 8, wherein the vermicelli composition comprises a mixture of wheat flour and potato starch in a ratio of 80-90: 10-20, as starch raw material, 1.5 to 1.9% salt (relative to the starch raw material, w/w), 0.15 to 0.19% alkaline chemicals (Na₂C0₃ : K₂C0₃ = 1: 1, relative to the starch raw material, w/w) and 32 to 36% the Phellinus linteus extract (relative to the starch raw material, w/v). 10. The food composition as set forth in claim 8, wherein the ramen composition comprises a mixture of wheat flour, potato starch and starch acetate in a ratio of 80-86:9-13 :5-7, as starch raw material, 1.00 to 1.42% salt (relative to the starch raw material, w/w), 0.14 to 0.18% alkaline chemicals (Na₂C0₃ : K₂C0₃ = 2:8, relative to the starch raw material, w/w), and 33 to 37% of the Phellinus linteus extract(relative to the starch raw material, w/v)