Lipophilic Chemical Profiling and Multimodal Physicochemical Characterization of Bovistella utriformis Using GC-MS, FTIR-ATR, TGA, and SEM

This study presents the first comprehensive lipophilic chemical profile of Bovistella utriformis, integrated with a multimodal physicochemical characterization of its whole biomass collected from Chilean Patagonia, complementing recent studies that demonstrate polysaccharide bioactivity, wound-healing efficacy, and molecular mechanisms of action. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed a heterogeneous microstructure comprising spheroidal particles (2–5 µm) embedded in a porous, fibrous matrix. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy with attenuated total reflectance (FTIR-ATR) revealed characteristic bands of polysaccharides, proteins, and chitin, with C–O/C–O–C bands typical of fungal cell-wall polysaccharides. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) revealed three degradation events at 75.4 °C, 212.0 °C, and 306.0 °C, with a residual mass of 25.9% at 800 °C under nitrogen. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis showed that the underivatized hexane, ethyl acetate and chloroform extracts are dominated by an unresolved envelope of free fatty acids (78–81% of total ion current) accompanied by 29 resolved minor compounds, mainly fatty acid methyl and ethyl esters, C8 alcohols, niacinamide and an ergostane sterol; acid-catalyzed transesterification collapsed this profile into six fatty acid methyl esters and three sterols. Remarkably, linoleic acid accounted for 90–92% of total fatty acids in all derivatized extracts, with palmitic acid (5–7%) as the only other major component and oleic acid at just 1.2–1.4%; ergosterol and ergosta-7,22-dien-3β-ol (0.9–3.5%) were the accompanying sterols. This represents the highest reported linoleic acid content in puffball mushrooms and distinguishes B. utriformis from most other edible fungi studied, supporting its valorization as an exceptional source of bioactive fatty acids and fungal sterols for nutraceutical, pharmaceutical, and biotechnological applications.