Biological Activities of Laetiporus Species as a Functional Food

Abstract

Laetiporus name is a combination of two words “laeti” (Lat.) and “por” (Lat.) and refers to a hymenial layer and the size of the specifically shaped fruiting bodies [30]. The genus Laetiporus was described by Murrill (1904) and typified by Agaricus speciosus [=Polyporus sulphureus (Bull.) Fr.] as a monotypic genus [30,31]. It causes decay especially in oak (Quercus sp.) trees, hardwood and conifers. The mature mushroom is yellow-orange [32].