157
World production of Pleurotus was around 3.4 × 10
6
tons in 2008, with China
being the country with the highest production (1.5 × 10
6
tons) followed by the
United States (0.38 × 10
6
tons) (Melo de Carvalho et al. 2010). For its cultivation,
different types of substrates have been used, such as agricultural residues (corn,
wheat, barley, lentils, rice husks) and plant residues such as coffee pulp, sawdust,
and sugarcane bagasse, among others. Cultivation of Pleurotus represents an excellent alternative to recycle several residues, helping to reduce the presence of these
materials in the environment (Pandey et al. 2000). The fruiting bodies contain, on
average, 25% protein (contains all the essential amino acids), 63% carbohydrates,
14% crude fiber, and 4% lipids (Chang and Miles 2004). Grain spawn of Pleurotus
citrinopileatus smells astringent, acrid, nutty, and sometimes fishy, with a scent that,
in time, is distinctly recognizable to this species. Pleurotus cystidiosus smells musty,
farinaceous not anise-like, and for Pleurotus ostreatus, its smell is sweet, rich,
pleasant, distinctly anise, and almost-like. Grain spawn of Pleurotus pulmonarius
smells sweet, pleasant, and distinctly “oyster-esque” (Stamets 2000).
Volvariella volvacea (Bull.) Singer Known as “straw mushroom” or “Chinese
mushroom,” it belongs to the family Pluteaceae of the basidiomycetes (Index
Fungorum 2017). It is a high-temperature fleshy saprophyte fungus, it grows in
tropical and subtropical regions of Asia, and it can also grow seasonally in temperate regions. It has been described as a homothallic basidiomycete, so the homokaryotic mycelium arising from germination is able to convert to the dikaryotic form and
complete the cycle; the dikaryotic hyphae lack pincer connections, the morphological markers that differentiate the dikaryon from the homokaryon (Chang and Ling
1970). In the eighteenth century, straw cultivation was initiated by Buddhist monks
from the Nanhua Temple located in Guangdong Province. Their diet was enriched
by cultivating the fungus on fermented rice straw; the mushroom was a tribute to
Chinese royalty (Chang 1977).
Volvariella volvacea has been cultivated using cotton waste, rice straw, water
lily, sugarcane bagasse, palm oil residues, and wastes of coconut, of banana, and of
pineapple, among others. The best characteristics of the cotton waste compost have
led to the cultivation of the mushroom to a semi-industrialized process in Hong
Kong, Taiwan, Indonesia, China, and Thailand (Chang and Miles 2004). Annual
production has increased in recent years; in 2010 the mushroom production in
China was 330,000 tons, which represents more than 80% of the world production
(Bao et al. 2013).
9.2.2 Mycorrhizal Mushrooms
Tuber spp. Tuber spp. are edible mushrooms of hypogeous growth (under the
ground) that establish a symbiotic relationship (ectomycorrhiza) with various species of gymnosperms and angiosperms in a variety of habitats (subtropical cloud
forests, temperate forests, boreal forests, among others) (Bulman et al. 2010). Tuber
9 Mushrooms as Edible Foods
World production of Pleurotus was around 3.4 × 10
6
tons in 2008, with China
being the country with the highest production (1.5 × 10
6
tons) followed by the
United States (0.38 × 10
6
tons) (Melo de Carvalho et al. 2010). For its cultivation,
different types of substrates have been used, such as agricultural residues (corn,
wheat, barley, lentils, rice husks) and plant residues such as coffee pulp, sawdust,
and sugarcane bagasse, among others. Cultivation of Pleurotus represents an excellent alternative to recycle several residues, helping to reduce the presence of these
materials in the environment (Pandey et al. 2000). The fruiting bodies contain, on
average, 25% protein (contains all the essential amino acids), 63% carbohydrates,
14% crude fiber, and 4% lipids (Chang and Miles 2004). Grain spawn of Pleurotus
citrinopileatus smells astringent, acrid, nutty, and sometimes fishy, with a scent that,
in time, is distinctly recognizable to this species. Pleurotus cystidiosus smells musty,
farinaceous not anise-like, and for Pleurotus ostreatus, its smell is sweet, rich,
pleasant, distinctly anise, and almost-like. Grain spawn of Pleurotus pulmonarius
smells sweet, pleasant, and distinctly “oyster-esque” (Stamets 2000).
Volvariella volvacea (Bull.) Singer Known as “straw mushroom” or “Chinese
mushroom,” it belongs to the family Pluteaceae of the basidiomycetes (Index
Fungorum 2017). It is a high-temperature fleshy saprophyte fungus, it grows in
tropical and subtropical regions of Asia, and it can also grow seasonally in temperate regions. It has been described as a homothallic basidiomycete, so the homokaryotic mycelium arising from germination is able to convert to the dikaryotic form and
complete the cycle; the dikaryotic hyphae lack pincer connections, the morphological markers that differentiate the dikaryon from the homokaryon (Chang and Ling
1970). In the eighteenth century, straw cultivation was initiated by Buddhist monks
from the Nanhua Temple located in Guangdong Province. Their diet was enriched
by cultivating the fungus on fermented rice straw; the mushroom was a tribute to
Chinese royalty (Chang 1977).
Volvariella volvacea has been cultivated using cotton waste, rice straw, water
lily, sugarcane bagasse, palm oil residues, and wastes of coconut, of banana, and of
pineapple, among others. The best characteristics of the cotton waste compost have
led to the cultivation of the mushroom to a semi-industrialized process in Hong
Kong, Taiwan, Indonesia, China, and Thailand (Chang and Miles 2004). Annual
production has increased in recent years; in 2010 the mushroom production in
China was 330,000 tons, which represents more than 80% of the world production
(Bao et al. 2013).
9.2.2 Mycorrhizal Mushrooms
Tuber spp. Tuber spp. are edible mushrooms of hypogeous growth (under the
ground) that establish a symbiotic relationship (ectomycorrhiza) with various species of gymnosperms and angiosperms in a variety of habitats (subtropical cloud
forests, temperate forests, boreal forests, among others) (Bulman et al. 2010). Tuber
9 Mushrooms as Edible Foods