Edible Mushrooms: Cultivation, Bioactive Molecules, and Health Benefits

Abstract

Mushrooms are globally appreciated for their nutritional value and medicinal properties. Their cultivation is an effective bioconversion technology of transforming wastes and woods into potentially valuable resources and could also be an important part of sustainable agriculture and forestry. Although India has the advantage of favorable agroclimate, abundance of agrowastes, relatively low-cost labor, and a rich fungal biodiversity, it has witnessed a lukewarm response in growth of mushroom cultivation. Out of the total mushroom produced in India, white button mushroom share is 73% followed by oyster mushroom (16%), paddy straw mushroom (7%), and milky mushroom (3%). The per capita consumption of mushrooms in India is also very meager and is even less than 100 g per year. Besides low fat and high protein and vitamin contents, mushrooms are rich sources of several minerals and trace elements, as well as dietary fibers. The reported medicinal effects of mushrooms include anti-inflammatory effects, with anti-inflammatory compounds of mushrooms comprising a highly diversified group in terms of their chemical structure. They include polysaccharides, terpenoids, phenolic compounds, and many other low molecular weight molecules. Of late, mushrooms have emerged as wonderful source of nutraceuticals, antioxidants, anticancer, prebiotic, immunomodulating, anti-inflammatory, cardiovascular, antimicrobial, and antidiabetic. Owing to the synergistic action of present bioactive molecules, majority of mushroom products possess beneficial health effects and can be used on a regular basis without harm. Therefore, they are considered as perspective organisms to develop different healthcare biotech product. Mushrooms could potentially be very important in future food supplies and in new dimensions of sustainable agriculture and forestry. In this chapter, an attempt has been made to provide an insight into the various aspects of cultivation of mushroom cultivation in India, nutritional benefits, therapeutic potential, and bioactive components present in edible mushrooms.