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Potential Usage of Edible Mushrooms and Their Residues to Retrieve Valuable Supplies for Industrial Applications

Summary

Edible mushrooms are not only nutritious foods but also contain valuable compounds that are being wasted during production. Scientists are discovering new ways to use mushroom waste to make useful products like natural skincare items, water purification materials, and food additives. These innovations help reduce environmental pollution while creating valuable products, supporting a more sustainable circular economy.

Background

Edible mushrooms are globally appreciated for their medicinal properties and nutritional value, but nearly one-fifth of mushroom production is wasted during processing. Mushroom residues are rich in sterols, vitamin D2, amino acids, and polysaccharides, making them underutilized waste that can contribute to the circular economy and environmental protection.

Objective

This review aims to summarize information related to edible mushrooms and their utilization as valuable goods for industrial applications. The focus is on valorization of mushroom waste and residues to develop value-added products across diverse fields including food, cosmetics, agriculture, and textiles.

Results

The review identifies multiple applications of edible mushrooms and their residues including fortification of ready-to-eat and ready-to-cook foods, production of edible films and coatings, development of prebiotics, creation of growth media, synthesis of biosorbents and biochar for heavy metal removal, production of nanoparticles with antimicrobial and anti-cancer properties, carbon dots for sensing applications, and skincare formulations with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

Conclusion

Edible mushrooms and their by-products have significant potential for diverse industrial applications due to their nutritional and functional values. While many applications show promising in vitro results, edible films, coatings, and skincare formulations remain largely underdeveloped at commercial levels. There is a need for responsible management within mushroom production systems to explore and commercialize these industrial applications.
  • Published in:Journal of Fungi (Basel),
  • Study Type:Review,
  • Source: PMID: 34071432, DOI: 10.3390/jof7060427
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