to reduce peat while increasing the water holding capacity (whc) of casing soil in button mushroom production an experiment was conducted in 2006 with three hydrogel treatments of: t0= casing soil with no hydrogel, as control, t1= casing soil + 10% hydrogel (v/v), and t2= casing soil + 20% hydrogel (v/v) with three replicates in a completely randomized design. results indicated that treatment 1...

The influence of culinary treatment on the nutritional value and quality of Lactarius deliciosus was established. Mushrooms: unblanched (I), blanched (II), and unblanched with onion and spices (III), were fried in oil for 10 min. Fried mushrooms were assessed before storage as well as after 48 h in storage at 20 °C, and after 48 and 96 h in storage at 4 °C. Frying increased the dry weight, prot...

CHAPTER 8 ADDITIONAL MEDICINAL PROPERTIES Synopsis Extracts from many medicinal mushrooms have long been used for a wide range of ailments in traditional Chinese medicine. Modern scientific and medical studies are increasingly supporting many of these health claims. The main areas of medical studies include blood pressurelowering, cholesterol lowering, liver protective, antifibrotic, anti-infla...

Mushrooms are fungi, biologically distinct from plant- and animal-derived foods (fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy, protein [meat, fish, poultry, legumes, nuts, and seeds]) that comprise the US Department of Agriculture food patterns operationalized by consumer-focused MyPlate messages. Although mushrooms provide nutrients found in these food groups, they also have a unique nutrient profile. Cl...

Nutrition is the main living reason for all of the societies of the world. Food supply should be both an economic and ecological subject. Health and nutrition involve balanced and sufficient functional food components. Sufficient daily calorie intake is the main problem of developing countries. The people cannot supply an adequate intake of essential food compounds such as proteins containing e...

Biodiversity study on mushrooms of basidiomycetes was initiated and more than seven hundred species were described by Natarajan and associates during 1975-2008 from South India. But the bio-documentation of many medicinal mushrooms were initiated a decade ago by Vaidya and associates from Western India, Janardhanan and associates from Kerala and Kaviyarasan and associates from South India. Lent...

Ganoderma lucidium mushrooms are an important natural source of foods and medicines. Mushrooms represent a major and untapped source of potent new pharmaceutical products. Traditional aboriginals knew the medicinal importance of edible and wild mushrooms and these are now being screened for their bioactivity in various ailments. The effect of Ganoderma lucidium extract on cancer, hypertension, ...

Since beginning of mankind nature is the most important source of medicines. Bioactive compounds produced by living organisms can be used directly as drugs or as lead compounds for drug development. Besides, the natural material can be used as crude drug for preparation of powder or extracts. Plants have traditionally been used as a source of most medical systems and as such herbal medicines co...

The protein-bound polysaccharides or polysaccharopeptides produced by Coriolus versicolor are effective immunopotentiators, which are used to supplement the chemotherapy and radiotherapy of cancers and various infectious diseases. Antitumor activity of polysaccharopeptides has been documented. Several kinds of protein-bound polysaccharides have been shown to be produced by the white rot fungus,...

Lignocellulosic residues were tested as artificial log to mushroom production of Lentinula edodes. Three isolates of L. edodes were grown in substrates based on corn bog, and sawdust or bark of eucalypt, enriched with rice bran 20%. The biological efficiency (BE) were higher when corn borg and sawdust was used and the isolate UFV 73 was that presented well shaped mushrooms and higher productivi...