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Green Valorization Strategies of Pleurotus ostreatus and Its By-Products: A Critical Review of Emerging Technologies and Sustainable Applications

Summary

Oyster mushrooms generate large amounts of agricultural waste including stems, leftover plant material, and spent growing substrate. These waste products contain many healthy compounds like fiber, β-glucans, and antioxidants that are usually thrown away. Scientists are developing new extraction technologies using ultrasound, microwaves, and other methods to recover these beneficial compounds from mushroom waste for use in functional foods like meat products, baked goods, and dairy items, reducing waste while creating healthier food ingredients.

Background

Pleurotus ostreatus (oyster mushroom) is widely cultivated and valued for its nutritional content and bioactive compounds. Large-scale production generates significant agro-industrial by-products including stipes, residual mycelium, and spent mushroom substrate (SMS) that are often discarded despite containing high levels of bioactive compounds such as dietary fiber, β-glucans, polyphenols, ergosterol, and essential minerals.

Objective

This review provides a critical overview of emerging green extraction technologies for sustainable valorization of bioactive compounds from P. ostreatus by-products. It examines ultrasound-assisted extraction, microwave-assisted extraction, supercritical fluid extraction, subcritical water extraction, enzyme-assisted extraction, and pulsed electric fields as strategies for extracting bioactive compounds and their potential incorporation into functional food formulations.

Results

Promising results were obtained in extraction of β-glucans and phenolic compounds using various green technologies, with MAE achieving recovery yields exceeding 85% for certain phenols and SFE proving effective for ergosterol extraction. However, industrial scalability remains challenging due to cost, energy demands, and regulatory issues, with most studies limited to specific matrices or compound classes.

Conclusion

Sustainable valorization of P. ostreatus by-products represents a dual opportunity to reduce food waste and develop innovative functional ingredients. While notable outcomes have been achieved with the fruiting body as a functional ingredient, further research is needed to optimize processing parameters for by-products, ensure safety, validate consumer acceptance, and establish industrial viability of green extraction technologies.
  • Published in:Molecules,
  • Study Type:Review,
  • Source: PMID: 41226278, DOI: 10.3390/molecules30214318
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