What is a Mushroom?
Mushrooms
are fungi that you can eat. Any of
several edible mushrooms of the genus Pleurotus,
having a soft, flavourful, greyish cap. Mushroom is an exotic and
nutritious source of vegetarian food. It is a major horticulture product all
over the world and is also becoming popular in India. Fresh mushrooms have very
limited shelf life but dried and packed mushrooms have considerable shelf life.
Mushrooms are being used as food since ancient times. In terms of nutrition
mushrooms are excellent source of proteins, and vitamins like thiamine (B1),
Riboflavin (B2), Niacin, biotin etc.
There
are more than 2000 edible species of which only a few have been brought under
cultivation on commercial scale. Of these 80 have been grown experimentally, 20
cultivated commercially and 5 are produced on industrial scale throughout the
world.
Types of Mushrooms
Oyster mushroom Paddy straw mushroom
Button mushroom Milky mushroom
Shiitake
Mushroom
Spawn (Mushroom Seeding)
Suitable substrate:
Sorghum, Maize or, Wheat grains
Preparation of spawn:
Half cooked grains, air dried, mixed with calcium
carbonate powder at 2% level, fill the grains in empty glucose drip bottles
or in high density polythene bags plug with cotton and sterilize in cooker for
2 hours. Sterilised bottles then inoculated with pure culture mycelium of the
fungus (Pleurotus ostreatus) and
incubate at room temperature for 15 days. Use 15-18 days old spawn for
spawning.
Inoculation of culture mycelium for spawn preparation
Preparation of Mushroom bed
Suitable
substrate: Paddy/wheat straw, sugarcane bagasse, hulled maize
cobs
Cooking
of substrate: Cut into 5cm bits, soak in potable
water for 5 hrs, boil water for one hour, drain the water, air dry to 65%
moisture.
Preparation of bags:
1. Use 60 ×30 cm polythene bags (both side open).
2. Keep the beds moist by periodical spraying with
water.
3. Tie one end of bag,
put two holes of 1 cm dia in the middle.
4. Put handful of
cooked straw in the bag to a height of 5 cm; sprinkle about 25 g of spawn.
5. Layer the straw to
25 cm height. Repeat the process to get four layers of spawn and 5 layers of
straw.
6. Tie the mouth and
arrange beds in tiers in the spawn running room.
7. After 15-20 days,
cut and remove the polythene bag and transfer the beds to cropping room.
Mushroom bed 15-21 days of
incubation Maintain temperature and humidityHarvesting
1. Mushroom pin heads appear on 3rd day of opening
of beds and mature in 3 days.
2. Harvest matured mushrooms daily or alternate
days, before spraying water.
3. Second and third harvest can be obtained after scraping the surface of beds after first or second harvest.
Oyster
mushrooms ready for harvesting
The vedio provided below will guide you step by step how to Cultivate Oyster Mushrooms
Nutrition Facts of Oyster Mushroom (per 100 gm)
Mushrooms are very good natural sources of Vitamin D. They also contain germanium, a trace mineral, selenium, an anti-oxidant mineral as well as other minerals like copper, niacin, potassium and phosphorus. They are also rich in Vitamin C, protein, calcium and iron. Furthermore, mushrooms also contain insoluble chitin and soluble Beta-glucan which are extremely beneficial for our health.
|
Sr. no. |
Nutritional value |
Quantity |
|
1. |
Energy |
113
KJ (27kcal) |
|
2. |
Carbohydrates |
4.1 |
|
3. |
Proteins |
2.5 |
|
4. |
Fats |
0.1 |
|
5. |
Fibre |
2.0
g |
|
6. |
Thiamine
(B1) |
0.1
mg |
|
7. |
Riboflavin
(B2) |
0.5
mg |
|
8 |
Niacin(B3) |
3.8
mg |
|
9. |
Potassium |
448
mg |
|
10. |
Phosphorus |
120
mg |
Health Benefits of Oyster Mushrooms:
- Helps to fight cancer
Mushrooms are rich in anti-oxidants that fight against the harmful free radicals in our body. If not acted upon, these free radicals tend to harm our body cells which might eventually lead to cancer. Selenium is a mineral found in mushrooms that facilitates the functioning of our liver enzymes and thus helps to detoxify certain cancer-causing compounds in our body. Vitamin D is also present in mushrooms which regulates the cell growth cycle and prevents the growth of cancer cells.
- Helps lower cholesterol levels
Mushrooms have no cholesterol or fat and are very low in carbohydrates. They however contain fiber and other enzymes which help to lower cholesterol levels. They are also rich in lean protein content that helps to burn cholesterol. Thus consumption of mushroom helps to regulate the cholesterol levels and protects your heart.
- Good for your heart
Mushrooms contain fiber, vitamin C and potassium which help to prevent cardiovascular diseases. Mushrooms have high potassium content and low sodium content and this combination helps to lower blood pressure. This in turn helps to prevent the risks associated with high blood pressure and cardiovascular diseases.
- Good for your bones
Mushroom contains calcium which helps to strengthen our bones and also aids in bone formation. Thus incorporating mushrooms in your diet will provide the necessary calcium that is required for your bones. This will delay or prevent the onset of conditions like osteoporosis and other ailments related to degradation of bones like lack of mobility and joint pain.
- Helps to prevent inflammation
Mushroom contains a powerful anti-oxidant called ergothioneine that helps to prevent inflammation. mushroom helps to fight diseases, lowers inflammation, and reduces tumor growth and allergic reactions.
- Improves body immunity
Mushrooms contain ergotheoneine, an amino acid containing sulphur, which is a powerful anti-oxidant and helps to increase body immunity. This compound helps to remove all the free radicals which tend to cause various diseases in our body. Mushrooms also contain natural antibiotics which prevent growth of microbes and other fungal infections. Furthermore, the presence of Vitamin A, B-complex and C in mushrooms also helps to strengthen our body immunity.
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