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fragile, the stipe is something hard and fibrous, and as it matures it changes color to
pink and then to black and exudes a type of ink of that color. Today, these mushrooms are widely cultivated in China and their production exceeds 380,000 tons per
year (CEFA 2008). The substrates used for cultivation include cotton waste, corncobs, rice straw, urea, steer manure, lime, etc. (Yang and Xue 2000). Stojković et al.
(2013) reported the nutrient content of wild and cultivated species, among which
there was no significant difference in carbohydrate content (76% dry weight), ash
(10%), and energy (368 kcal/100 g), but differences in protein (wild 10.9%; cultivated 11.84%) and fat (wild 1.8%; cultivated 1.98%).
Flammulina velutipes (Curtis) Singer It is a basidiomycete that belongs to the
family Physalacriaceae (Index Fungorum 2017). “Enokitake” is the Japanese name
with which it is known, which is also called as golden needle mushroom or winter
mushroom. It is a saprophyte, mainly on hardwoods, occasionally on conifers, commonly growing from sea level to tree line (Stamets 2000), mushroom of great popularity in Asia, requires low temperature to develop (Chang and Miles 2004). It has
been reported that its morphological characteristics are influenced by the incidence
of light and temperature (Sakamoto et al. 2007). Flammulina velutipes is one of the
six most actively cultivated mushroom species in the world; more than 300,000 tons
of this mushroom are produced per year (Psurtseva 2005). Because it is a white-rot
fungus, it can be found in dead wood. In the commercial cultivation, it has been
used mainly as wood (sawdust), alone or mixed with ears of corn, cottonseed husk,
bagasse of sugarcane, etc. in cold treatment (Royse 1995). The reduction of the
cultivation cycles, the cold treatment, and the amount of waste material are determining factors in its cultivation. Most strains require a cold shock and/or a low
growth temperature (4.4–13 °C), which vary in their sensitivity to light and carbon
dioxide levels (Stamets 2000).
Grifola frondosa (Dicks.) Gray Grifola frondosa is commonly called as hen of the
woods and sheep’s head, but maitake is its Japanese name meaning “dancing mushroom” derived from folklore, because when a person stumbles upon the mushroom,
he might dance out of happiness because of the mushroom’s high market value. This
mushroom has a unique appearance. It is fleshy polyporaceous recognized by its
undulating pileus and smoky brown color; it is organized in large clusters forming
rosettes that emerge from a single branched structure of the stipe. The mature fruiting body is fleshy dark gray-brown and becomes light gray with age (Chang and
Miles 2004). It is a saprophyte mushroom that grows on trunks of dead, dying, or
aged woods, such as oak, elm, maple, and chestnut (Chen et al. 2000). The first
large-scale commercial production was developed in Japan in 1981; 10 years later
the United States and China did. In 1999, Japanese growers produced almost 40,000
tons, and in 2001, China produced 14,600 tons. It has been reported that this fungus
contains 19.7% of crude protein and 13. 1% of pure protein, 61.06% of carbohydrates, 9.7% of fiber, and 3.2% of lipids (Chang and Miles 2004).
9 Mushrooms as Edible Foods
fragile, the stipe is something hard and fibrous, and as it matures it changes color to
pink and then to black and exudes a type of ink of that color. Today, these mushrooms are widely cultivated in China and their production exceeds 380,000 tons per
year (CEFA 2008). The substrates used for cultivation include cotton waste, corncobs, rice straw, urea, steer manure, lime, etc. (Yang and Xue 2000). Stojković et al.
(2013) reported the nutrient content of wild and cultivated species, among which
there was no significant difference in carbohydrate content (76% dry weight), ash
(10%), and energy (368 kcal/100 g), but differences in protein (wild 10.9%; cultivated 11.84%) and fat (wild 1.8%; cultivated 1.98%).
Flammulina velutipes (Curtis) Singer It is a basidiomycete that belongs to the
family Physalacriaceae (Index Fungorum 2017). “Enokitake” is the Japanese name
with which it is known, which is also called as golden needle mushroom or winter
mushroom. It is a saprophyte, mainly on hardwoods, occasionally on conifers, commonly growing from sea level to tree line (Stamets 2000), mushroom of great popularity in Asia, requires low temperature to develop (Chang and Miles 2004). It has
been reported that its morphological characteristics are influenced by the incidence
of light and temperature (Sakamoto et al. 2007). Flammulina velutipes is one of the
six most actively cultivated mushroom species in the world; more than 300,000 tons
of this mushroom are produced per year (Psurtseva 2005). Because it is a white-rot
fungus, it can be found in dead wood. In the commercial cultivation, it has been
used mainly as wood (sawdust), alone or mixed with ears of corn, cottonseed husk,
bagasse of sugarcane, etc. in cold treatment (Royse 1995). The reduction of the
cultivation cycles, the cold treatment, and the amount of waste material are determining factors in its cultivation. Most strains require a cold shock and/or a low
growth temperature (4.4–13 °C), which vary in their sensitivity to light and carbon
dioxide levels (Stamets 2000).
Grifola frondosa (Dicks.) Gray Grifola frondosa is commonly called as hen of the
woods and sheep’s head, but maitake is its Japanese name meaning “dancing mushroom” derived from folklore, because when a person stumbles upon the mushroom,
he might dance out of happiness because of the mushroom’s high market value. This
mushroom has a unique appearance. It is fleshy polyporaceous recognized by its
undulating pileus and smoky brown color; it is organized in large clusters forming
rosettes that emerge from a single branched structure of the stipe. The mature fruiting body is fleshy dark gray-brown and becomes light gray with age (Chang and
Miles 2004). It is a saprophyte mushroom that grows on trunks of dead, dying, or
aged woods, such as oak, elm, maple, and chestnut (Chen et al. 2000). The first
large-scale commercial production was developed in Japan in 1981; 10 years later
the United States and China did. In 1999, Japanese growers produced almost 40,000
tons, and in 2001, China produced 14,600 tons. It has been reported that this fungus
contains 19.7% of crude protein and 13. 1% of pure protein, 61.06% of carbohydrates, 9.7% of fiber, and 3.2% of lipids (Chang and Miles 2004).
9 Mushrooms as Edible Foods