目前市面上有許多靈芝產品，是很熱門的健康食品之一，這些產品多爲靈芝粉末，但並未標示所使用之靈芝品種，無法確認該產品功效是否良好。本研究使用市售之靈芝子實體爲試驗材料，分析其粗多醣體含量，做爲消費者購買的指標。如意靈芝、川靈芝、鹿角靈芝、天生靈芝及光榮靈芝之子實體粉末，經由熱水及酸水解兩種處理方法，萃取粗多醣，再以HPLC測定其分子量。結果顯示不同品種間、不同處理方法間、及其交感效應間之粗多醣平均分子量皆有顯著差異。平均分子量以鹿角靈芝最高，如意靈芝最低，兩者相差16倍；而經熱水萃取液後不處理之平均分子量，爲經熱水萃取液後以酸水解之分子量的19倍。此外，以熱水萃取粗多醣，光榮靈芝之粗多醣含量是川靈芝的10.76倍。不同靈芝品種子實體細粉末所萃出的粗多醣含量與平均分子量之間並無顯著相關性存在，但是粗多醣含量高的靈芝品種則具有商機與研究價值。
Many kinds of Ling Zhi products are sold as healthy food in the market. Consumers are not able to identify the functions from these products in powder due to lack of labeling the variety of product. In the study, polysaccharide contents analyzed from the five fruiting bodies of local Ling Zhi called 'Zoo-Yee', 'Shen', 'Lu-Gew', 'Tein-Sin' and 'Kuan-Zong' were used as index for consumers. Polysaccharides were extracted from the ground powder in the hot water or 6N HCl, and the peaks of molecular weights from the extracts were calculated through the HPLC analysis. The results indicate that the average molecular weights of polysaccharide were significantly different in varieties, extracting methods and their interactions. The highest and lowest molecular weights appeared in 'Lu-Gew' and 'Zoo-Yee', respectively, and 'Lu-Gew' was 1.6 fold higher than 'Zoo-Yee'. The molecular weight of polysaccharide from heat-extracts was 1.9 fold higher compared to heat-HC1 extracts. Moreover, the content of polysaccharides in heat-extract of 'Kuan-Zong' was 10.76 fold higher compared to that of 'Shen' variety. No significant correlation was observed between contents and molecular weights of polysaccharides. Ling Zhi varieties with the high contents of polysaccharides show the potentials on both commercials and scientific bases.
