**2. Determination of active substances**

In the last decades of the 20th century, the study of macrofungi was intensified, including the research of structurally different metabolites (polysaccharides, glycoproteins, proteoglucans, terpenoids, fatty acids, proteins, lectins, etc..) originating from the primary or secondary metabolism of fungi, as well as different biological activities that they express. Metabolites from fungal fruit bodies or spores themselves are substantially different from those that come from extracellular liquid of the medium in which submerged mycelium was grown or from cells of the culture. Since the phenomenon of multidrug-resistance of microorganisms is on the rise, the studies of macrofungi increased in range, in spite of the fact that they are very slow growing organisms. The value of macrofungi and the dietary supplements, originating from these organisms, grows each year on the world market. They are very safe and considered as the factors useful in the daily diet, especially for people suffering from various diseases.

Natural-products chemists further purify active chemicals from crude extracts by a variety of methods. The chemical structures of the puried material can then be analyzed. Techniques for further chemical analysis include chromatography, bioautography, radioimmunoassay, various methods of structure identication, or modern techniques such as atom bombardment mass spectrometry, Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, highperformance liquid chromatography, capillary zone electrophoresis, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and X-ray crystallography.
