132
very high market price. The fruiting body of fungi can be cultivated through
horticulture.
After Agaricus, ‘shiitake mushroom’ (Lentinula edodes) is the second most cultivated mushroom in the world. Besides China and Japan, shiitake is also widely
cultivated in Taiwan, Thailand, Korea, Singapore as well as Holland, the United
States and Canada. The ‘shiitake mushroom’ is as common in Asian countries as
Agaricus bisporus as in the West. Shiitake’s protein can be used extensively in a
vegetarian diet due to a full complement of essential amino acids. Its active ingredient, lentinan (a polysaccharide), was found to show activity against cancer and cholesterol (Beelman et al. 2003). The most commonly used cultivated edible
macrofungi and their nutritional properties are listed in Table 8.1.
8.3 Use of Fungi as and in Processed Food
Various food and food additives in the markets being used as animal feed or human
food are constituted by fungi.
8.3.1 SCP
A variety of microbial products, produced by fermentation that can be used for the
fermentation of vast amounts of waste materials, such as straws; wood and woodprocessing wastes; food, cannery and food-processing wastes; and residues from
alcohol production or from human and animal excreta, have been given the name
single cell protein. Single cell protein (SCP) is considered as the most promising
nonconventional protein source that can be used as the dietary component for augmenting the anticipated world protein shortage (Moore et al. 2001). Yeast is an especially important fungus and considered as the most promising source of SCP
although its growth is not as rapid as that of bacteria. Production of SCP involves
the use of various waste products, including cheese whey, starch, fruit-processing
residues, animal waste and petroleum hydrocarbons. The study carried out by
Lyutskanov et al. (1990), on the applicability of protein extracts obtained from a
strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, revealed that the percentage of essential amino
acids lysine and isoleucine was higher than that of soya bean and the chemical score
of these amino acids is higher than that of egg protein (Lyutskanov et al. 1990). The
preparation of the protein extract using yeast is associated with the problem of high
nucleic acid content which can cause gout and urinary tract stones which can be
reduced using successful methods of reduction (Moore and Chiu 2001). It was also
found that the use of nonconventional protein sources with high carbohydrate content shows allergic reactions. Low nucleic acid and carbohydrate content of yeast
A. Singh et al.
very high market price. The fruiting body of fungi can be cultivated through
horticulture.
After Agaricus, ‘shiitake mushroom’ (Lentinula edodes) is the second most cultivated mushroom in the world. Besides China and Japan, shiitake is also widely
cultivated in Taiwan, Thailand, Korea, Singapore as well as Holland, the United
States and Canada. The ‘shiitake mushroom’ is as common in Asian countries as
Agaricus bisporus as in the West. Shiitake’s protein can be used extensively in a
vegetarian diet due to a full complement of essential amino acids. Its active ingredient, lentinan (a polysaccharide), was found to show activity against cancer and cholesterol (Beelman et al. 2003). The most commonly used cultivated edible
macrofungi and their nutritional properties are listed in Table 8.1.
8.3 Use of Fungi as and in Processed Food
Various food and food additives in the markets being used as animal feed or human
food are constituted by fungi.
8.3.1 SCP
A variety of microbial products, produced by fermentation that can be used for the
fermentation of vast amounts of waste materials, such as straws; wood and woodprocessing wastes; food, cannery and food-processing wastes; and residues from
alcohol production or from human and animal excreta, have been given the name
single cell protein. Single cell protein (SCP) is considered as the most promising
nonconventional protein source that can be used as the dietary component for augmenting the anticipated world protein shortage (Moore et al. 2001). Yeast is an especially important fungus and considered as the most promising source of SCP
although its growth is not as rapid as that of bacteria. Production of SCP involves
the use of various waste products, including cheese whey, starch, fruit-processing
residues, animal waste and petroleum hydrocarbons. The study carried out by
Lyutskanov et al. (1990), on the applicability of protein extracts obtained from a
strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, revealed that the percentage of essential amino
acids lysine and isoleucine was higher than that of soya bean and the chemical score
of these amino acids is higher than that of egg protein (Lyutskanov et al. 1990). The
preparation of the protein extract using yeast is associated with the problem of high
nucleic acid content which can cause gout and urinary tract stones which can be
reduced using successful methods of reduction (Moore and Chiu 2001). It was also
found that the use of nonconventional protein sources with high carbohydrate content shows allergic reactions. Low nucleic acid and carbohydrate content of yeast
A. Singh et al.