Goa University discovers pigment in wild edible mushroom that may help fight against cancer

Recently, the mycological laboratory of the Department of Botany in Goa University announced the discovery of a new pigment from local wild mushrooms that may help fight against cancer. The result was confirmed after more than two decades of research experience on local wild mushrooms. The chemical nature of the brown or black color pigment in wild edible mushrooms ‘Roen alamis or Termitomyces’ species has a new sulphur-rich melanin pigment with immense bio-industrial, biomedical and biotechnological potential. This may help to fight against cancer and tumors. People of Goa who consume these mushrooms are actually eating sulphur-rich melanin. The Goa University has declared it as world’s first sulphur-rich edible melanin. Its structure is similar to black pigment found in human hair. Basically, the melanin is a protective pigment in the skin that helps in blocking Ultraviolet (UV) radiation from damaging DNA and possibly causing the skin cancer.