Computational Molecular Biology 2025, Vol.15, No.1, 53-64 http://bioscipublisher.com/index.php/cmb 53 Research Insight Open Access Green Application of Enzymatic and Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction Techniques for Cordyceps Polysaccharides Wenzhong Huang Biomass Research Center, Hainan Institute of Tropical Agricultural Resouces, Sanya, 572025, Hainan, China Corresponding author: wenzhong.huang@hitar.org Computational Molecular Biology, 2025, Vol.15, No.1 doi: 10.5376/cmb.2025.15.0005 Received: 03 Jan., 2025 Accepted: 12 Feb., 2025 Published: 24 Feb., 2025 Copyright © 2025 Huang, This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Preferred citation for this article: Huang W.Z., 2025, Green application of enzymatic and ultrasound-assisted extraction techniques for Cordyceps polysaccharides, Computational Molecular Biology, 15(1): 53-64 (doi: 10.5376/cmb.2025.15.0005) Abstract In recent years, enzymatic and ultrasonic-assisted extraction techniques, as green and efficient extraction strategies, have gradually been applied in the extraction and development of natural products such as Cordyceps polysaccharides. This study systematically explored the application of enzymatic and ultrasonic-assisted extraction techniques in the extraction of Cordyceps polysaccharides, analyzed the synergistic effects of the two techniques, and evaluated their impacts on extraction efficiency, biological activity and environmental benefits. The research results show that enzymatic extraction enhances the efficiency of polysaccharide release by selectively decomposes the cell wall, while ultrasonic-assisted extraction significantly improves the efficiency of solvent penetration and diffusion through cavitation effects. The combined application of the two technologies has further enhanced the extraction rate, polysaccharide yield and purity, while significantly reducing energy consumption and solvent consumption. The Cordyceps polysaccharides obtained through co-extraction exhibit stronger antioxidant capacity and immunomodulatory activity. This study provides a new idea for the green extraction of Cordyceps polysaccharides, systematically evaluates the application advantages and synergistic effects of enzymatic and ultrasonic-assisted technologies, promotes the green, precise and efficient development of Cordyceps polysaccharide extraction technology, and offers a reference for the sustainable development and industrialization of natural products. Keywords Cordyceps polysaccharides; Enzymatic extraction; Ultrasound-assisted; Green extraction technology; Synergistic effect 1 Introduction When it comes to Cordyceps polysaccharides, this thing is actually quite interesting. It was discovered earlier that it could have antioxidant properties and regulate immunity, so many people are eyeing this natural ingredient. But to be honest, merely knowing that it has benefits is not enough; the key lies in how to bring it out. The traditional method is not only inefficient, but also always criticized for being environmentally unfriendly (Zhu et al., 2016). It is indeed quite troublesome to operate in practice. The current situation is that although everyone knows that the extraction and purification step directly affects the yield and activity of polysaccharides, the old method is just not very good. So in recent years, more and more people have begun to explore new extraction technologies. In the final analysis, they are looking for a method that is both efficient and reliable. When it comes to traditional methods for extracting polysaccharides, such as hot water extraction and alcohol precipitation, they have indeed been used in laboratories for many years. But to be honest, there are quite a few problems-when the high-temperature treatment time is long, the polysaccharide structure is prone to problems, and the final yield cannot be increased. Environmental protection is an even more troublesome aspect. It often consumes a large amount of water and energy (Yang et al., 2017). Nowadays, green production is emphasized, and these old methods are indeed a bit out of step. However, to be fair, although new methods keep emerging, it will still take time to completely replace traditional techniques. After all, issues of cost and scale need to be taken into consideration. Nowadays, the methods for extracting Cordyceps polysaccharides are indeed changing-enzymatic and ultrasound-assisted extraction have received considerable attention recently (Usman et al., 2023). Unlike the old methods that frequently involve high temperatures and high pressures, these new technologies are much milder. Take the enzymatic method for example. It is like slowly cutting the cell wall with "biological scissors", which
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