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WPD WISSENSCHAFTLICHER PRESSEDIENST Moderne Ernährung heute 3/2016 PUBLISHER: PROF. DR. R. MATISSEK · LEBENSMITTELCHEMISCHES INSTITUT (LCI) DES BUNDESVERBANDES DER DEUTSCHEN SÜSSWARENINDUSTRIE E.V., COLOGNE ABSTRACT Edible Mushrooms – A valuable food since the Stone Age Nutritive and pharmacological properties, cultivation, and uses for developing vegan food Prof. Dr. Martin Rühl and Prof. Dr. Holger Zorn, Institute of Food Chemistry and Food Biotechnology of the Justus Liebig University of Giessen Mushrooms do not only come in many variations with an unmistakable aroma and odour, but – because of their composition – they also are nutritionally valuable. Some have even been appreciated for millennia as healing remedies. With the aid of modern culture systems for the production of fungal mycelium in fermenters, the nutritional properties can also be made available for the development of vegetarian and vegan foods. EDIBLE MUSHROOMS AS A REMEDY As many edible mushrooms are used both for food and medicinally, they can be assigned to the functional foods (nutraceuticals). This is also explained by the fact that they are increasingly being sold not only in their fresh form, but also as food supplements made from dried, tabletted fruiting bodies. Specific varieties of edible mushrooms can contain ingredients that have lipid-lowering, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and immune-stimulating effects, as well as a positive impact on the synthesis of nerve growth factors. Anti-carcinogenic properties have also been described, which is why e.g. β-glucans from Shiitake are distributed in Japan for the treatment of cancer. CultivATION OF EDIBLE MUSHROOMS Traditionally, edible mushrooms have always been collected and in China have also been cultivated for approximately 1,000 years, in Europe since the 17th century. The worldwide production of edible mushrooms has strongly increased in recent years. In cultivation, a difference is made between litter degraders (such as button mushrooms/champignons) and wood decomposers (such as oyster mushrooms). Whereas nitrogen-rich straw substrates are used for litter degraders, substrates such as sawdust from hardwoods or even chopped straw are used for wood decomposers. For both the induction of the formation of fruiting bodies is achieved by the same processes: lowering the ambient temperature, increasing the relative humidity and reducing the CO2 concentration. NUTRITIONAL VALUE OF EDIBLE MUSHROOMS Edible mushrooms are rich in protein, but low in fat and contain a lot of dietary fibre, vitamins of the B-group and minerals. The biological value of fungal protein is typically limited by the concentration of the amino acids methionine, cysteine, and isoleucine. The main components of the dietary fibre are chitin, cellulose und β-glucans, whereby chitin may cause digestive problems in some individuals. Edible mushrooms also contain ergosterol, which is converted to vitamin D2 following exposure to UV-B radiation. This principal is used to significantly increase the vitamin D content in the fruiting bodies. Because the shelf life of fresh mushrooms is limited, even with cooling, fruiting bodies are often sold in a dried form. Biotechnological Production of EDIBLE FUNGAL MYCELIUM Fungi are also cultivated in bioreactors (fermenters) as small pellets of mycelium and typically marketed after the addition of egg or milk proteins. Current research projects are working on ways to produce protein-rich fungal mycelia whose technofunctional properties will allow processing to produce vegan foods, such as sausage analogues. Additionally, the use of edible mushrooms for fermentation of e.g. beer wort for the production of new types of soft drinks is also imaginable. Legal disclaimer / Publisher, editor and queries: Lebensmittelchemisches Institut (LCI) des Bundesverbandes der Deutschen Süßwarenindustrie e. V. Prof. Dr. Reinhard Matissek (Legally responsible for the content under the German Press Act) · Adamsstraße 52-54 · 51063 Köln/Germany · Phone: +49 221 623 061 · E-Mail: [email protected] or :relations Gesellschaft für Kommunikation mbH · Mörfelder Landstraße 72 · 60598 Frankfurt/Germany · Phone: +49 69 963 652-11 · E-Mail: [email protected] Publication with source „LCI Moderne Ernährung heute“ Reprinting free of charge · please send sample copy