Cordyceps militaris is a medical mushroom and exerts body health and longevity. It can be cultivated in laboratory under suitable condition now. This research investigated the effect of 6 light types including T1 = white light (long bulb), T2 = white light (round bulb), T3 = blue light, T4 = pink light, T5 = red light and T6 = mixed colour light on cordycepin and adenosine production of
C. militaris mushroom. It was found that the T2 [white light (round bulb)] cultured C. militaris mushroom sample had the highest cordycepin and adenosine contents with the values of 711.81 ? 14.95 and 41.79 ? 6.99 mg/100 g, respectively. Subsequently, the T2 cultured C. militaris mushroom sample was extracted with hot water for 60 min at the temperature of 60 ?C to gain crude extracts of polysaccharides. The four samples of crude polysaccharide extracts were obtained as follows: - sample 1 was not defatted and not ultrasonicated, sample 2 was not defatted and ultrasonicated, sample 3 was defatted and not ultrasonicated, and sample 4 was defatted and ultrasonicated. It was found that the %yield of the 4 crude extracts samples was not significantly different (p > 0.05), which were in the ranges of 41.02 - 41.79%. The antioxidant properties including DPPH radical scavenging assay, improved ABTS radical cation decolorization assay, superoxide radical scavenging assay,hydroxyl radical scavenging assay, ferrous chelating and ferric reducing power were found to be different (p < 0.05). It was found that the C. militaris mushroom crude polysaccharide extracts from defatted and ultrasonicated preparation had the better antioxidant properties antioxidant properties compared with those without defatted and sonicated preparation. This research is the first revealed that the defatting of raw material in combination with ultrasonication could improve antioxidant capacity of the extracts.