Termitomyces sp. mushroom is an edible mushroom that belongs to the family of Lyophyllaceae and exhibited growth associated with termites in a symbiotic environment. In this study, Termitomyces sp. mushroom was isolated from several places located in Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia namely TM 1 (Senaling, Kuala Pilah, TM 2 (Batu Kikir, Kuala Pilah) and TM 3 (Rembau Negeri Sembilan). The collection process was conducted during the early rainy seasons within October to November in which these mushrooms were actively growing. The collected mushrooms fruiting bodies from the wild were further used in tissue culture for the growth of mycelium on the agar medium. Out of the three samples only TM 1 mycelium were successfully grown on the agar medium and subsequent optimization were carried out to enhance the growth of the TM 1 mycelium. The composition of the agar medium was manipulated, and it was observed that the combination of PDA (potato dextrose agar) + ME (malt extract) + YE (yeast extract) showed a thick full plate growth of mycelium in 14 days of cultivation. The mushroom mycelium of TM 1 was able to grow and produce polysaccharide in batch submerged liquid fermentation with a biomass of 8.55 g/L, intracellular polysaccharide (IPS CWE and IPS HWE) of 1.36 and 3.20 g/L respectively and extracellular polysaccharide of 1.44 g/L.

During the monsoon season, a wild-termite mushroom Termitomyces heimii RFES 230662 (THR2) was successfully isolated from Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. The mushroom was morphologically labelled based on its stipe, pileus, and the budding mycelia from the termites nest. Genetic component of THR2 (300 bp) was sequenced and found to be 99% identical to Termitomyces sp. strain. The evolutionary distance (Knuc) of the isolate justified THR2 as T. heimii species. Two THR2 extracts were prepared from fruiting body (FB) and mycelial biomass (MB) for antimicrobial responses. THR2 was cultivated in a submerged-fermentation (SF) producing 8.55 g/L of MB, 0.80 g/L of endopolysaccharide (ENS) and 1.44 g/L of exopolysaccharide (EPS), respectively. For THR2-FB, two ENS extracts were obtained using hot (3.20 g/L) and cold-water (1.36 g/L) treatments. FTIR spectra analysis verified all polysaccharide as β-glucan when compared to laminarin standard. Those β-glucan possess antibacterial properties with highest response shown by ß-glucan-FB compared to ß-glucan-MB extracts. These findings serve as the blueprint for the production of β-glucan from a rare termite mushroom.