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Isolation and characterization of edible mushroom-forming fungi from Swedish nature

Summary

Swedish researchers isolated 17 strains of wild edible mushroom-forming fungi from nature and studied how they grow at different temperatures and develop fruiting bodies. They found that commercially cultivated mushroom species grow faster and prefer warmer temperatures than wild species. Several strains successfully produced mushrooms on different growing substrates, particularly on birch pellets, with some performing better than established laboratory strains. All newly isolated strains have been preserved in a research collection for future studies and potential commercial mushroom production.

Background

Fungi are highly diverse organisms, yet only a small subset has been cultivated for biotechnology and food industry applications. Edible mushrooms provide important nutritional resources including fiber, protein, vitamins, and minerals. This study focused on isolating and characterizing wild edible mushroom-forming strains from Swedish natural environments.

Objective

To isolate wild strains of edible, mushroom-forming fungi from Swedish nature and investigate their mycelial growth rates at different temperatures, fruiting characteristics, and cultivation potential for comparison with established laboratory strains.

Results

Successfully isolated 17 pure fungal strains from 14 species with ITS sequence confirmation. Strains from commercially cultivated species showed higher mycelial growth rates at warmer temperatures compared to less frequently cultivated species. Four wild strains produced primordia, with successful fruiting observed for Hericium coralloides, Pleurotus pulmonarius, and Schizophyllum commune, particularly on birch pellets.

Conclusion

The newly isolated Swedish strains have been deposited at the Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute and represent important genetic resources for fungal conservation and potential commercial development. Two species were entirely novel to widely used culture collections, and nine species had no previous Swedish strains deposited. This work provides foundational cultivation knowledge for developing new mushroom species for food production and biotechnology applications.
  • Published in:IMA Fungus,
  • Study Type:Experimental Study,
  • Source: 10.3897/imafungus.16.142215
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