Mushrooms, the ABC

Fungi (Fungi, Linneus, 1753) or fungi (from ancient Greek,  mýkēs) are one of the prides of Italian cuisine as well as gastronomic traditions, and not only, of the cultures of many peoples.

A kingdom of eukaryotic organisms, unicellular and multicellular – whose biodiversity is estimated at over 3 million species (1) – whose potential is largely unexplored.

Applications are numerous to nurture and heal soils and plants, animals and humans. (2). Following, the ABC on production and consumption of mushrooms for food use.

Mushrooms, classification

A classification in general can group mushrooms into four macro-categories.

A) cultivated mushrooms. The champions of global production (Royse  et al., 2017), in order, are:

• Lentinula edodes (shiitake),
• Pleurotus spp. (oyster mushrooms),
• Auricularia spp. (wood-ear mushrooms),
• Agaricus bisporus (or common mushroom, champignon, Portobello mushroom)

B) medicinal mushrooms (e.g. Ganoderma lucidum o Reishi, Ling Zhi),

C) poisonous mushrooms (e.g. Amanita phalloides, or  death cap),

D) other mushrooms (e.g. wild mushrooms, mycorrhizae. See notes 3,4).

Mushroom cultivation and sustainable development

Cultivation of mushrooms:

• does not require the use of pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, nor chemical fertilizers,
• has a low environmental impact (Okuda, 2022),
• allows virtuous recovery (Riutilizzo creativo) of wastes from other processes. (4)

These advantages ecological and economic place mushroom cultivation at the forefront to contribute to achieving the  Obiettivi di sviluppo sostenibile (SDGs) in UN Agenda 2030.

Riutilizzo creativo of by-products from agriculture, forests, food

‘Cultivation mushroom cultivation differs significantly from other types of plant production, as it can use as cultivation materials low economic value trees, sawdust, clippings, and branches, which are by-products associated with sustainable forest management.

Their use in mushroom cultivation can serve as a valuable resource for economic growth, instead of causing environmental pollution and consequent health risks due to incineration (Chang and Wasser, 2017).

In Japan, for example, mushrooms represent 44% of the production value generated by the forestry industry, which uses forests occupying almost 70% of the national territory (MAFF, 2020). Mushrooms also represent over80% of the value of non-timber forest products, including edible nuts, edible wild plants, Japanese lacquer, bamboo, charcoal, and firewood.’ (4)

Production

Production global mushroom production has increased 13.8 times in the last 30 years (1990-2020), reaching 42.8 million tons (FAOSTAT, 2022). China is the real protagonist of growth, with 93% of the world's mushroom production and truffles (or hypogeous mushrooms), followed by Japan and the USA.

Europe  in turn excels in the production of high value-added mushrooms and truffles, which are typically associated with Italian and French cuisine in particular. The variety of fungal species allowed for sale in the EU is high, about 268 taxa of which 60 can be cultivated today.

Consumption

Consumption mushroom consumption was once limited to the harvest seasons and cold months, between autumn and winter. The growing consumer interest in foods with balanced nutritional profiles and the development of food technologies have then helped extend the consumption of these valuable sources of plant proteins to every season of the year. (5,6).

Nutritional and health properties

Nutritional properties

Proteins with high biological value (with a complete set of essential amino acids), the abundance of dietary fiber, and minimal levels of lipids characterize the composition of mushrooms.

Vitamin D contained in mushrooms is of particular interest to vegan consumers, as well as other vitamins (B and C) and minerals (Na, K, and P) and a variety of health-beneficial phytocompounds.

Health properties

About 2,000 mushrooms have been recognized to have health properties, chiefly linked to the presence of certain bioactive compounds. Specifically:

• lectins,
• polysaccharides,
• phenolic compounds,
• polyphenols, (7)
• terpenes.

The literature scientific literature attributes antioxidant and antimicrobial effects to these bioactive compounds, as well as:

• modulation of the immune system, reduction of blood cholesterol, liver protection,
• prevention of cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases, tumors, diabetes mellitus. (5)

Toxicity risks and international regulations

Toxic compounds present in mushrooms are responsible for more or less severe acute and chronic syndromes, gastrointestinal or neurological manifestations to liver and kidney failure. Intoxication incidents are numerous and also concern inappropriate collection, transport, storage, and cooking of edible fungal species. (6)

Codex Alimentarius (FAO, WHO) adopted in 1981 the  General Standard for Edible Fungi and Fungus products (Codex Stan 38-1981) and the  Standard for Dried Edible Fungi (Codex Stan 39-1981) on hygiene and safety, identification and quality, marketing and labeling of fresh and processed edible mushrooms. (6)

#SDG3,  Ensure Health and Well-being. #SDG11,  Sustainable Cities and Communities. #SDG12,  Responsible Consumption and Production. #SDG13,  Climate Action. #SDG14,  Life below Water. #SGG15,  Life on Land.

Dario Dongo and Irene Giunta

Notes

(1) Heath E. O’Brien, Jeri Lynn Parrent, Jason A. Jackson, Jean-Marc Moncalvo, Rytas Vilgalys (2005).  Fungal Community Analysis by Large-Scale Sequencing of Environmental Samples. Appl. Environ. Microbiol., 71:9 5544-5550, 2005. https://doi.org/10.1128/AEM.71.9.5544-5550.2005

(2) Giulia Pietrollini. Mushrooms, discovering an unknown universe. Food Times. 15.12.22.

(3) Aly Farag El Sheikha, Dian-Ming Hu (2018). How to trace the geographic origin of mushrooms ? Trends in Food Science & Technology, 2018, Volume 78, Pages 292-303. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tifs.2018.06.008

(4) Yasuhito Okuda (2022). Sustainability perspectives for future continuity of mushroom production: The bright and dark sides. Front. Sustain. Food Syst. Sec. Agroecology and Ecosystem Services. Volume 6, 2022. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2022.1026508

(5) Dario Dongo, Andrea Adelmo Della Penna. Proteins from fungi and microfungi, mycoproteins, the ABC. Food Times. 12.10.22

(6) Rachele De Cianni, Liam Pippinato, Teresina Mancuso (2023). A systematic review on drivers influencing consumption of edible mushrooms and innovative mushroom-containing products. Appetite. 2023, Volume 182, 106454. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2023.106454

(7) Dario Dongo, Salvatore Parisi. Polyphenols and health. Plants as friends of the immune system. Food Times. 1.4.20