Cordyceps militaris: A novel mushroom platform for metabolic engineering

Cordyceps militaris, widely recognized as a medicinal and edible mushroom in East Asia, contains a variety of bioactive compounds, including cordycepin (COR), pentostatin (PTN) and other high-value compounds. This review explores the potential of developing C. militaris as a cell factory for the production of high-value chemicals and nutrients. This review comprehensively summarizes the fermentation advantages, metabolic networks, expression elements, and genome editing tools specific to C. militaris and discusses the challenges and barriers to further research on C. militaris across various fields, including computational biology, existing DNA elements, and genome editing approaches. This review aims to describe specific and promising opportunities for the in-depth study and development of C. militaris as a new chassis cell. Additionally, to increase the practicability of this review, examples of the construction of cell factories are provided, and promising strategies for synthetic biology development are illustrated.

The development and nutritional quality of Lyophyllum decastes affected by monochromatic or mixed light provided by light-emitting diode

Edible fungi has certain photo-sensitivity during the mushroom emergence stage, but there has been few relevant studies on the responses of Lyophyllum decastes to different light quality. L. decastes were planted in growth chambers with different light qualities that were, respectively, white light (CK), monochromatic red light (R), monochromatic blue light (B), mixed red and blue light (RB), and the mixture of far-red and blue light (FrB). The photo-sensitivity of L. decastes was investigated by analyzing the growth characteristics, nutritional quality, extracellular enzymes as well as the light photoreceptor genes in mushroom exposed to different light treatments. The results showed that R led to mycelium degeneration, fungal skin inactivation and failure of primordial formation in L. decastes. The stipe length, stipe diameter, pileus diameter and the weight of fruiting bodies exposed to RB significantly increased by 8.0, 28.7, 18.3, and 58.2% respectively, compared to the control (p < 0.05). B significantly decreased the stipe length and the weight of fruiting body, with a decrease of 8.5 and 20.2% respectively, compared to the control (p < 0.05). Increased color indicators and deepened simulated color were detected in L. decastes pileus treated with B and FrB in relative to the control. Meanwhile, the expression levels of blue photoreceptor genes such as WC-1, WC-2 and Cry-DASH were significantly up-regulated in mushroom exposed to B and FrB (p < 0.05). Additionally, the contents of crude protein and crude polysaccharide in pileus treated with RB were, respectively, increased by 26.5 and 9.4% compared to the control, while those in stipes increased by 5.3 and 58.8%, respectively. Meanwhile, the activities of extracellular enzyme such as cellulase, hemicellulase, laccase, manganese peroxidase, lignin peroxidase and amylase were significant up-regulated in mushroom subjected to RB (p < 0.05), which may promote the degradation of the culture materials. On the whole, the largest volume and weight as well as the highest contents of nutrients were all detected in L. decastes treated with RB. The study provided a theoretical basis for the regulation of light environment in the industrial production of high quality L. decastes.

Photoregulation of the biosynthetic activity of the edible medicinal mushroom Lentinula edodes in vitro

The findings of the study demonstrate the impact of low-intensity laser and quasi-monochromatic light on the biosynthetic activity of the edible medicinal fungus L. edodes during submerged cultivation. An artificial lighting installation based on matrices of light-emitting diodes (LED) emitting light at 470 nm (blue), 530 nm (green), 650 nm (red), and argon gas laser (488 nm) was used. Irradiation with blue and red LED and laser led to a shortening of the lag phase by 2 days and an increase in the mycelial mass. Irradiation with laser light resulted in the highest mycelial mass yield (14.1 g/L) on the 8th day of cultivation. Irradiation in all used wavelength ranges caused an increase in the synthesis of both extracellular and intracellular polysaccharides. Laser light at 488 nm and LED at 470 nm proved to be the most effective. Irradiation with red, green, and blue laser light caused an increase in the total amount of fatty acids in the mycelial mass compared to the control. A significant distinction in qualitative composition was observed: short-chain acids C6‒C12 compounds were produced under red light irradiation, whereas long-chain C20‒C24 were formed under green light irradiation. The most significant changes in the aromatic profile of the mycelial mass and culture liquid were recorded upon irradiation with green light. The content of aromatic components increased 24.6 times in the mycelial mass and 38.5 times in the culture liquid. The results suggest the possibility of using low-intensity quasi-monochromatic light for targeted regulation of L. edodes biosynthetic activity.

Light-Exposed Metabolic Responses of Cordyceps militaris through Transcriptome-Integrated Genome-Scale Modeling

The genome-scale metabolic model (GSMM) of Cordyceps militaris provides a comprehensive basis of carbon assimilation for cell growth and metabolite production. However, the model with a simple mass balance concept shows limited capability to probe the metabolic responses of C. militaris under light exposure. This study, therefore, employed the transcriptome-integrated GSMM approach to extend the investigation of C. militaris's metabolism under light conditions. Through the gene inactivity moderated by metabolism and expression (GIMME) framework, the iPS1474-tiGSMM model was furnished with the transcriptome data, thus providing a simulation that described reasonably well the metabolic responses underlying the phenotypic observation of C. militaris under the particular light conditions. The iPS1474-tiGSMM obviously showed an improved prediction of metabolic fluxes in correlation with the expressed genes involved in the cordycepin and carotenoid biosynthetic pathways under the sucrose culturing conditions. Further analysis of reporter metabolites suggested that the central carbon, purine, and fatty acid metabolisms towards carotenoid biosynthesis were the predominant metabolic processes responsible in light conditions. This finding highlights the key responsive processes enabling the acclimatization of C. militaris metabolism in varying light conditions. This study provides a valuable perspective on manipulating metabolic genes and fluxes towards the target metabolite production of C. militaris.

Enhanced production of cordycepin under solid-state fermentation of Cordyceps militaris by using combinations of grains/substrates

This manuscript deals with cordycepin, an interesting secondary compound produced from entomopathogenic fungus, Cordyceps. It has attracted commercial interest due to its immense pharmacological importance beneficial to human health. In this study, the contents of cordycepin and its derivatives, like adenine and adenosine, were evaluated through solid-state fermentation using combinations of various grains as substrate. Treatment with grain combination numbers 2, 7, 8, and 9 exhibited higher cordycepin content (1.621, 1.929, 1.895, and 1.996 mg/g cordycepin, respectively) than control (rice). The grain combination number 7 exhibited significantly higher adenine content (700 mg/g) than the control and all other combinations. Treatments with grain combination numbers 2, 5, and 7 exhibited higher adenosine content (2.719, 2.938, and 3.392 mg/g, respectively); however, no significant increase in adenosine content was noted in any treatments. The biomass including fresh mycelium and fruit body was found higher in grain combination numbers 7 and 9, leading to enhanced cordycepin content. Overall, the increase in the fresh biomass significantly enhanced cordycepin accumulation. The level of cordycepin was recorded as higher than that of its derivatives, adenosine and adenine. The grain combination of rice, wheat, jowar, bajra, and sugarcane bagasse added to basal medium exhibited the highest cordycepin content and was found suitable for solid-state fermentation of Cordyceps militaris. To our understanding, the present study is the first to use combinations of cereals for the production of cordycepin from C. militaris.

Research Progress on Cordycepin Synthesis and Methods for Enhancement of Cordycepin Production in Cordyceps militaris

C. militaris is an insect-born fungus that belongs to Ascomycota and Cordyceps. It has a variety of biological activities that can be applied in medicine, health-care products, cosmeceuticals and other fields. Cordycepin (COR) is one of the major bioactive components identified from C. militaris. Thus, C. militaris and COR have attracted extensive attention. In this study, chemical synthetic methods and the biosynthesis pathway of COR were reviewed. As commercially COR was mainly isolated from C. militaris fermentation, the optimizations for liquid and solid fermentation and genetic modifications of C. militaris to increase COR content were also summarized. Moreover, the research progress of genetic modifications of C. militaris and methods for separation and purification COR were introduced. Finally, the existing problems and future research direction of C. militaris were discussed. This study provides a reference for the production of COR in the future.

Increasing the performance of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) seedlings by LED illumination

Light is one of the most important limiting factors for photosynthesis and the production of plants, especially in the regions where natural environmental conditions do not provide sufficient sunlight, and there is a great dependence on artificial lighting to grow plants and produce food. The influence of light intensity, quality, and photoperiod on photosynthetic pigments content and some biochemical and growth traits of cucumber seedlings grown under controlled conditions was investigated. An orthogonal design based on a combination of different light irradiances, ratio of LEDs and photoperiods was used. Treaments consisted of three light irradiance regimes (80, 100, and 150 µmol m⁻² s⁻¹) provided by light-emitting diodes (LEDs) of different ratios of red and blue (R:B) (30:70, 50:50, and 70:30) and three different photoperiods (10/14, 12/12, and 14/10 h). The white light was used as a control/reference. Plant height, hypocotyl length, stem diameter, leaf area, and soluble sugar content were highest when exposed to LM9 (150 µmol m⁻² s⁻¹; R70:B30; 12/12 h) light mode, while the lowest values for the above parameters were obtained under LM1 (80 µmol m⁻² s⁻¹; R30:B70; 10/14 h). Higher pigments contents (chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, and carotenoid) were obtained when light regime LM9 (150 µmol m⁻² s⁻¹; R70:B30; 12/12 h) was applied. In general, cucumber seedlings grown under the LM9 regime showed a significant increase in growth as well as photosynthetic capacity. It seems that the content of photosynthetic pigments is the key factor responsible for the performance of cucumber seedlings grown under different lighting modes, compared to other traits studied. We recommend monitoring the content of chlorophyll a, b, and their ratio value when studying the light requirement of cucumber plants.

Construction of Light-Responsive Gene Regulatory Network for Growth, Development and Secondary Metabolite Production in Cordyceps militaris

Cordyceps militaris is an edible fungus that produces many beneficial compounds, including cordycepin and carotenoid. In many fungi, growth, development and secondary metabolite production are controlled by crosstalk between light-signaling pathways and other regulatory cascades. However, little is known about the gene regulation upon light exposure in C. militaris. This study aims to construct a gene regulatory network (GRN) that responds to light in C. militaris. First, a genome-scale GRN was built based on transcription factor (TF)-target gene interactions predicted from the Regulatory Sequence Analysis Tools (RSAT). Then, a light-responsive GRN was extracted by integrating the transcriptomic data onto the genome-scale GRN. The light-responsive network contains 2689 genes and 6837 interactions. From the network, five TFs, Snf21 (CCM_04586), an AT-hook DNA-binding motif TF (CCM_08536), a homeobox TF (CCM_07504), a forkhead box protein L2 (CCM_02646) and a heat shock factor Hsf1 (CCM_05142), were identified as key regulators that co-regulate a large group of growth and developmental genes. The identified regulatory network and expression profiles from our analysis suggested how light may induce the growth and development of C. militaris into a sexual cycle. The light-mediated regulation also couples fungal development with cordycepin and carotenoid production. This study leads to an enhanced understanding of the light-responsive regulation of growth, development and secondary metabolite production in the fungi.

Biomass and Cordycepin Production by the Medicinal Mushroom Cordyceps militaris-A Review of Various Aspects and Recent Trends towards the Exploitation of a Valuable Fungus

Cordyceps militaris is an entomopathogenic ascomycete with similar pharmacological importance to that of the wild caterpillar fungus Ophiocordyceps sinensis. C. militaris has attracted significant research and commercial interest due to its content in bioactive compounds beneficial to human health and the relative ease of cultivation under laboratory conditions. However, room for improvement exists in the commercial-scale cultivation of C. militaris and concerns issues principally related to appropriate strain selection, genetic degeneration of cultures, and substrate optimization. In particular, culture degeneration-usually expressed by abnormal fruit body formation and reduced sporulation-results in important economic losses and is holding back investors and potential growers (mainly in Western countries) from further developing this highly promising sector. In the present review, the main factors that influence the generation of biomass and metabolites (with emphasis on cordycepin biosynthesis) by C. militaris are presented and evaluated in conjunction with the use of a wide range of supplements or additives towards the enhancement of fungal productivity in large-scale cultivation processes. Moreover, physiological and genetic factors that increase or reduce the manifestation of strain degeneration in C. militaris are outlined. Finally, methodologies for developing protocols to be used in C. militaris functional biology studies are discussed.

Cloning and analysis of the photoreceptor genes Oxwc-1 and Oxwc-2 from ethnopharmacological fungus Ophiocordyceps xuefengensis

Ophiocordyceps xuefengensis is an ethnopharmacological fungus with broad pharmacological properties. Light is a critical environmental factor for the stromata formation and development of many fungi. In this study, photomorphogenesis and blue light receptor genes were studied using a strain of O. xuefengensis. Light represses vegetative growth, but conidia linked to stromata can be observed under both light and dark conditions. Light and dark conditions had little effect on the accumulation of polysaccharides and adenosine. The genes Oxwc-1 and Oxwc-2 encoding photoreceptors of O. xuefengensis were cloned and predicted to possess polypeptides of 937 and 525 amino acids, respectively. A phylogenetic analysis based on fungal WC-1/2 supported OxWC-1 and OxWC-2 were photoreceptor. The expression of both the Oxwc-1 and Oxwc-2 genes reached a maximum after receiving light stimulation for 15 min, which might relate to the inhibition of stromata growth.

Low Dose of Fluoride in the Culture Medium of Cordyceps militaris Promotes Its Growth and Enhances Bioactives with Antioxidant and Anticancer Properties

Cordyceps militaris possesses several compounds with medicinal properties, and is commonly used in traditional Chinese functional food and medicine for a variety of health benefits. Because of its rare occurrence in nature, the market demand for artificial C. militaris is on the rise. Furthermore, efforts to increase its bioactive ingredients have also been considered in research. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effect of fluoride on the growth and enrichment of bioactive compounds in C. militaris. A wide range of potassium fluoride concentrations (0, 0.001, 0.01, 0.1, and 1 mM) were added to the culture media as a source of fluoride during the cultivation of C. militaris fruiting bodies. The contents of fluorine and bioactive substances of the fruiting bodies in normal (NM) and fluorine-supplemented (FM) media were measured and compared. C. militaris raised in the growth medium supplemented with 0.01 mM potassium fluoride led to a 44.86% (1.55 ± 0.14 g/bottle) increase in biomass and a 23.43% (3161.38 ± 35.71 µg/g) increase in total carotenoid content in the fruiting bodies. Furthermore, a remarkable increase in superoxide dismutase-like activity (84.75 U/mg) and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity (IC₅₀ = 2.59 mg/mL) was recorded. In human cancer cell-based assays, C. militaris raised in FM caused stronger cytotoxicity, apoptosis, and cell cycle arrest in human osteosarcoma cells. These results demonstrated that a low dose of fluoride could stimulate the growth of C. militaris fruiting bodies and enhance the production of bioactive ingredients that possess useful antioxidant and anticancer activities.

Metabolic Responses of Carotenoid and Cordycepin Biosynthetic Pathways in Cordyceps militaris under Light-Programming Exposure through Genome-Wide Transcriptional Analysis

Cordyceps militaris is currently exploited for commercial production of specialty products as its biomass constituents are enriched in bioactive compounds, such as cordycepin. The rational process development is important for economically feasible production of high quality bioproducts. Light is an abiotic factor affecting the cultivation process of this entomopathogenic fungus, particularly in its carotenoid formation. To uncover the cell response to light exposure, this study aimed to systematically investigate the metabolic responses of C. militaris strain TBRC6039 using integrative genome-wide transcriptome and genome-scale metabolic network (GSMN)-driven analysis. The genome-wide transcriptome analysis showed 8747 expressed genes in the glucose and sucrose cultures grown under light-programming and dark conditions. Of them, 689 differentially expressed genes were significant in response to the light-programming exposure. Through integration with the GSMN-driven analysis using the improved network (iRT1467), the reporter metabolites, e.g., adenosine-5'-monophosphate (AMP) and 2-oxoglutarate, were identified when cultivated under the carotenoid-producing condition controlled by light-programming exposure, linking to up-regulations of the metabolic genes involved in glyoxalase system, as well as cordycepin and carotenoid biosynthesis. These results indicated that C. militaris had a metabolic control in acclimatization to light exposure through transcriptional co-regulation, which supported the cell growth and cordycepin production in addition to the accumulation of carotenoid as a photo-protective bio-pigment. This study provides a perspective in manipulating the metabolic fluxes towards the target metabolites through either genetic or physiological approaches.

Transcriptome Analysis of Cordyceps militaris Reveals Genes Associated With Carotenoid Synthesis and Identification of the Function of the Cmtns Gene

Cordyceps militaris, a valuable edible and medicinal fungus, has attracted increasing attention because of its various bioactive ingredients. However, the biosynthetic pathway of C. militaris carotenoids is still unknown due to lack of transcriptome information. To uncover genes related to the biosynthesis of C. militaris carotenoids, the transcriptomes of mycelia CM10_D cultured under dark conditions and mycelia CM10_L cultured under light exposure conditions were sequenced. Compared with mycelia CM10_D, 866 up-regulated genes and 856 down-regulated genes were found in mycelia CM10_L. Gene ontology (GO) analysis of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) indicated that DEGs were mainly classified into the “metabolic process,” “membrane,” and “catalytic activity” terms. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis of DEGs suggested that DEGs were mainly enriched in “metabolic pathways,” “MAPK signaling pathway-yeast,” and “biosynthesis of secondary metabolites.” In addition, the carotenoid content of the Cmtns gene deletion mutant (ΔCmtns) was significantly lower than that of the wild-type C. militaris CM10, while the carotenoid content of the complementary strain (ΔCmtns-c) of the Cmtns gene was not significantly different from that of C. militaris CM10, suggesting that the Cmtns gene significantly affected the biosynthesis of carotenoids in C. militaris. These results potentially pave the way for revealing the biosynthetic pathway of carotenoids and improving carotenoids production in C. militaris.

A new cordycepin-producing caterpillar fungus Ophiocordyceps xuefengensis with artificial infection to the host, cultivation of mycelia and stromata

Caterpillar fungi have numerous pharmacological and therapeutic applications in traditional medicine, due to a variety of active chemical constituents, such as cordycepin and adenosine. It is imperative to discover new resource for artificial cultivation and biometabolite production since the traditional natural species are endangered. In this study, a new strain HACM 001 was isolated and identified as Ophiocordyceps xuefengensis by rDNA-ITS sequencing. This strain showed the potential of artificial infection to caterpillar larvae leading to mummification, as well as fermentation mycelia in liquid culture and cultivation stromata in solid medium. Eight nucleosides and nucleobases, especially cordycepin and adenosine, were determined and analyzed with HPLC-DAD-Q-TOF-MS/MS technology. Cordycepin was detected in all forms of present O. xuefengensis strain at different contents, among which the highest content (37.1 μg/g) appeared in the stromata cultivated on solid medium. The content of adenosine in mycelia and stromata, respectively, reached 1155 μg/g and 1470 μg/g. Therefore, O. xuefengensis might be an alternative source for obtaining artificial fungus-caterpillar-larvae complex and producing cordycepin and adenosine.

Enhanced production of polysaccharides and triterpenoids in Ganoderma lucidum fruit bodies on induction with signal transduction during the fruiting stage

Ganoderma lucidum is a medicinal mushroom that has been widely used in East Asia for the treatment of various diseases. The pharmacological activity of this fungus is primarily attributable to the polysaccharides and triterpenoids. In this study, to obtain the fruit bodies with improved content of active constituents, we examined the effect of salicylic acid (SA) and calcium ion on the biosynthesis of polysaccharides and triterpenoids by spraying the chemicals during the fruiting. To explore the underlying mechanisms for the variation, the transcripts of related genes involved in the polysaccharide and triterpenoid biosynthesis were measured. Results showed that Ca²⁺ had no effect on production of polysaccharides and triterpenoids, whereas SA increased triterpenoid content by 23.32%, compared to the control, but it had little influence on polysaccharide production. Interestingly, the combined induction increased polysaccharide and triterpenoid content by 9.02% and 13.61%, respectively, compared to the control. Under Ca²⁺ induction, the transcript of ugp gene in the polysaccharide biosynthetic pathway up-regulated in all three stages (mycelium, primordium, and fruit body), while pgm and gls gave no response in the mycelium and primordium stages, and up-regulated in the fruit body stage. Differently, six key triterpenoid biosynthetic genes including hmgr, hmgs, mvd, fps, sqs, and ls did not respond to the induction. In the case of SA and combined induction, pgm and ugp were up-regulated in all three stages, while gls showed an increased expression in the primordium stage and no response in other stages. The six triterpenoid biosynthetic genes were up-regulated in all three stages. The present study provides a useful approach to producing G. lucidum fruit bodies with high polysaccharide and triterpenoid content. This is important to the G. lucidum industry.

Evaluation of different agricultural wastes for the production of fruiting bodies and bioactive compounds by medicinal mushroom Cordyceps militaris

BACKGROUND

In commercial production of Cordyceps militaris (a famous Chinese medicine), cereal grains are usually utilized as cultivation substrates. This study aimed to evaluate the efficiency of agricultural wastes as substitute materials in the low-cost production of C. militaris. Cottonseed shells (CS), corn cob particles (CCP), Italian poplar sawdusts (IPS) and substrates spent by Flammulina velutipes (SS) were employed to cultivate C. militaris, using rice medium as control.

RESULTS

CS and CCP were suitable for fruit body formation of C. militaris, with yields of 22 and 20 g per bottle respectively. Fruit bodies grown on CCP showed the highest levels of cordycepin and adenosine, up to 9.45 and 5.86 mg g^-1 respectively. The content of d-mannitol in fruit bodies obtained on CS was 120 mg g^-1 (80% of the control group), followed by that on CCP, 100 mg g^-1 . Fruit bodies cultivated on CCP displayed a high crude polysaccharide level of 26.9 mg g^-1 , which was the closest to that of the control group (34.5 mg g^-1 ).

CONCLUSION

CS and CCP are effective substrates for the production of fruit bodies and bioactive compounds by C. militaris. This study provides a new approach to decreasing the cost of C. militaris cultivation and dealing with these agricultural wastes. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

Metabolomic profile and nucleoside composition of Cordyceps nidus sp. nov. (Cordycipitaceae): A new source of active compounds

Cordyceps sensu lato is a genus of arthropod-pathogenic fungi, which have been used traditionally as medicinal in Asia. Within the genus, Ophiocordyceps sinensis is the most coveted and expensive species in China. Nevertheless, harvesting wild specimens has become a challenge given that natural populations of the fungus are decreasing and because large-scale culture of it has not yet been achieved. The worldwide demand for products derived from cultivable fungal species with medicinal properties has increased recently. In this study, we propose a new species, Cordyceps nidus, which parasitizes underground nests of trapdoor spiders. This species is phylogenetically related to Cordyceps militaris, Cordyceps pruinosa, and a sibling species of Cordyceps caloceroides. It is found in tropical rainforests from Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia and Ecuador. We also investigated the medicinal potential of this fungus based on its biochemical properties when grown on four different culture media. The metabolic profile particularly that of nucleosides, in polar and non-polar extracts was determined by UPLC, and then correlated to their antimicrobial activity and total phenolic content. The metabolome showed a high and significant dependency on the substrate used for fungal growth. The mass intensities of nucleosides and derivative compounds were higher in natural culture media in comparison to artificial culture media. Among these compounds, cordycepin was the predominant, showing the potential use of this species as an alternative to O. sinensis. Furthermore, methanol fractions showed antimicrobial activity against gram-positive bacteria, and less than 3.00 mg of gallic acid equivalents per g of dried extract were obtained when assessing its total phenolic content by modified Folin-Ciocalteu method. The presence of polyphenols opens the possibility of further exploring the antioxidant capacity and the conditions that may enhance this characteristic. The metabolic composition and biochemical activity indicate potential use of C. nidus in pharmaceutical applications.

Optimization of Enzyme-Assisted Extraction of Carotenoids Antioxidants from Cordyceps militaris Using Response Surface Methodology

Response surface methodology (RSM) with a Box–Behnken design (BBD) was used to optimize the extraction conditions of carotenoid antioxidants from Cordyceps militaris. An enzyme-assisted extraction (EAE) method was developed and optimized to enhance 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazil (DPPH) radical-scavenging activity of carotenoid antioxidants from C. militaris. The optimum conditions were as follows: a pH of 4.1, an extraction time of 40.4 min, an extraction temperature of 48.7 °C and 0.43 % enzyme (cellulose: pectinase, 1:1, w/w) concentration. Under these conditions, the DDPH radical-scavenging activity of C. militaris extracts was 81.62±2.26 %, indicating that the BBD is an efficient approach to develop mathematical models for predictingcarotenoids antioxidant extraction from C. militaris. The successful extraction of carotenoid antioxidants from C. militaris provides a basis for the development and utilization of C. militaris resources.