MYCOLab Ai Logo - gold and army green

Cryopreservation at -75°C of Agaricus subrufescens on Wheat Grains with Sucrose

Summary

This research explored better ways to preserve an important medicinal and culinary mushroom species using freezing techniques. The scientists found that freezing the mushroom mycelium at -75°C using wheat grains and sugar (sucrose) as protective agents was most effective for long-term storage up to 2 years. This helps maintain valuable mushroom strains without losing their important characteristics. Impacts on everyday life: – Improved preservation of medicinal mushroom strains for research and production – More reliable supply of mushrooms for food and medicine – Better quality control in mushroom cultivation – Cost-effective storage method for mushroom producers – Longer-term availability of consistent mushroom strains

Background

Agaricus subrufescens is a basidiomycete with culinary and medicinal properties, being one of the most important mushrooms produced in Brazil. While traditional preservation methods like periodic subculture are inexpensive, they require maintenance and risk contamination or loss of characteristics. Cryopreservation could be an alternative preservation technique but has challenges due to the mycelium sensitivity of this species.

Objective

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of sucrose addition to substrate and cryotube on the viability of Agaricus subrufescens cryopreserved at -20°C and at -75°C for one and two years.

Results

Cryopreservation at -20°C was not effective for maintaining mycelial viability. At -75°C, preservation was effective when sucrose was used in substrates and/or cryotubes. Without sucrose, -75°C preservation only worked with wheat grains. Mycelial colony diameter was negatively affected with PDA but unaffected with wheat grain after two years. No genomic alterations were detected after two years at -75°C.

Conclusion

Cryopreservation at -75°C is effective for preserving A. subrufescens for 2 years when using wheat grains with sucrose, avoiding mycelial degeneration seen with periodic subculture. The recommended protocol uses wheat grains with 10% sucrose in substrate and 15% sucrose solution in cryotube at -75°C.
  • Published in:Brazilian Journal of Microbiology,
  • Study Type:Laboratory Research Study,
  • Source: 10.1016/j.bjm.2017.08.003
Scroll to Top