AGRO-FOOD INDUSTRY WASTES AND AGRICULTURAL RESIDUES CONVERSION INTO HIGH VALUE PRODUCTS BY MUSHROOM CULTIVATION

Several aspects of our research on the valorization of various agro-industrial residues through mushroom cultivation for the production of added-value products (mycelial biomass, mushrooms, enzymes and medicinal compounds) are presented. These comprise: (a) evaluation of lignocellulosic wastes for the production of the important edible and medicinal mushrooms genera Pleurotus and Lentinula, through examination of their growth rates and conversion efficacy to fruiting bodies, and (b) production of mycelial biomass and extracellular enzymes during solid-state fermentation (SSF) of agricultural residues by L. edodes and the impact of agro-residues properties on the bioconversion process. Firstly, mycelial growth rates of several Pleurotus and Lentinula strains cultivated on agro-food industry wastes and their bioconversion to fruiting bodies (monitored by biological efficiencies - BEs) are presented. Pleurotus species demonstrated high colonization rates on wheat straw (WS) and cotton waste (CW), while peanut shells (PS) furnished the poorest results. Recorded BEs on the former two substrates averaged between 75% and 100%. Regarding L. edodes, oak-wood sawdust (OS) and WS supported faster growth than corncobs (CC) and CW, while the highest average BEs (≤ 100) were achieved with CC and WS. Secondly, experiments investigating the ability of several L. edodes strains to grow on reed grass (RG), bean stalks (BS) and WS residues are presented. Results showed the importance of simultaneous evaluation of mycelium growth rate, biomass yield and activities of hydrolytic and oxidative enzymes, along with analysis of constituents of the substrates. Data obtained support the potential effectiveness of RG and BS residues as L. edodes cultivation substrates.