Pleurotus spp – Page 3

Electrical integrity and week-long oscillation in fungal mycelia

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Researchers discovered that fungal mycelia (underground networks of fungal threads) use electrical signals to communicate across their bodies when searching for food like wood. When a fungus found a piece of wood to eat, it generated electrical signals that spread throughout its mycelial network, possibly helping coordinate the fungus’s response. Most remarkably, the fungus exhibited a peculiar electrical rhythm at the food location that cycled every week—the longest such pattern ever observed in fungi.

Research on Development and Challenges of Forest Food Resources from an Industrial Perspective—Alternative Protein Food Industry as an Example

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This research examines how forest resources can provide alternative proteins to address global food security challenges. Scientists reviewed innovations in edible insects, plant-based foods, fermented microbes, and lab-grown meat, finding promising potential but significant hurdles remaining in cost, consumer acceptance, and regulations. The study emphasizes that successful commercialization requires coordinated advances across technology, economics, culture, and policy rather than breakthroughs in any single area.

Research on Development and Challenges of Forest Food Resources from an Industrial Perspective—Alternative Protein Food Industry as an Example

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As the global population grows, we need new sources of protein to feed everyone sustainably. Scientists are developing four main types of alternative proteins from forests: edible insects, plants, microorganisms like mushrooms and yeast, and lab-grown meat. While these technologies show tremendous promise and are already appearing in stores, they still face challenges like high costs, safety concerns, and consumer hesitation. Solving these problems will require better research, clearer safety standards, and coordinated efforts across industries and governments.

Development and Characterization of Mycelium-Based Composite Using Agro-Industrial Waste and Ganoderma lucidum as Insulating Material

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Researchers developed an eco-friendly insulation material using mushroom mycelium (Ganoderma lucidum) combined with waste plant materials from Colombia: Arboloco pith and grass clippings. The resulting material is lightweight, thermally efficient, and comparable to commercial insulators like expanded polystyrene. However, the material shrinks significantly and absorbs water when exposed to moisture, so additional treatments are needed before it can be widely used in buildings.

Effects of a biotechnologically produced Pleurotus sapidus mycelium on gut microbiome, liver transcriptome and plasma metabolome of broilers

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Researchers tested whether mushroom mycelium grown using agricultural waste could be safely added to chicken feed. The mycelium, rich in beneficial compounds like β-glucans, was added to broiler diets at varying levels for 35 days. Results showed that chickens fed diets containing up to 5% mushroom mycelium performed just as well as control chickens, with no negative effects on health, digestion, or metabolism, suggesting this sustainable feed ingredient could help reduce competition between animal feed and human food.

Combined effect of olive pruning residues and spent coffee grounds on Pleurotus ostreatus production, composition, and nutritional value

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This study examined growing oyster mushrooms on different substrate mixtures combining wheat straw with recycled coffee grounds and olive plant waste. The researchers found that mushrooms grown on substrates with lower amounts of these waste materials produced comparable yields to standard straw while offering better nutritional profiles, including higher protein and lower fat content. The findings suggest that using these recycled agricultural wastes could benefit mushroom farming in regions where wheat straw is difficult to obtain, though lead contamination from coffee grounds was a concern requiring better cleaning procedures.

Influence of Pleurotus sapidus fruiting bodies on the performance, cecal microbiome, and gene expression in the liver and breast muscle of broilers

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Researchers tested whether edible mushroom fruiting bodies could be used as animal feed for chickens. They found that chickens fed diets containing oyster mushroom (Pleurotus sapidus) had reduced growth and lower nutrient absorption compared to control chickens. While mushroom-based feed appeared to increase beneficial gut bacteria diversity, it ultimately impaired overall chicken performance, suggesting mushroom fruiting bodies are not suitable as a primary feed component for commercial poultry production.

New insights into temperature-impacted mycovirus-fungus interactions regulated by a microRNA in Lentinula edodes

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When shiitake mushrooms are infected with a virus and exposed to heat stress, the virus replicates more aggressively, which makes the mushrooms more susceptible to heat damage and competitive fungi. Researchers discovered that a small regulatory RNA molecule called led-milR-21 plays a key role in this process by suppressing the mushroom’s heat defense mechanisms when the virus is present. This discovery is important because it shows how viruses can exploit heat stress to overcome fungal defenses, with implications for mushroom cultivation in a warming climate.

Biotechnological Cultivation of Edible Macrofungi: An Alternative for Obtaining Nutraceutics

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This research explores how modern biotechnology can be used to grow medicinal mushrooms more efficiently in liquid cultures, making it easier to produce health-promoting compounds. Impact on everyday life: – More affordable access to mushroom-based health supplements – Increased availability of natural medicinal compounds – More sustainable and efficient production of nutritional supplements – Development of new natural health products – Reduced cost of mushroom-derived medicines

Impact of Spent Mushroom Substrates on the Fate of Pesticides in Soil, and Their Use for Preventing and/or Controlling Soil and Water Contamination: A Review

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This research examines how spent mushroom substrate (SMS) – the leftover growing material from mushroom production – can be beneficially reused to help control pesticide pollution in agricultural soils and water. The study shows that adding SMS to soil can help trap pesticides and prevent them from contaminating water supplies, while also potentially helping break down these chemicals. Impacts on everyday life: – Provides a sustainable way to reuse mushroom farming waste material – Helps protect drinking water sources from pesticide contamination – Offers farmers a natural method to manage pesticide use more environmentally – Could reduce costs for soil and water treatment/remediation – Demonstrates how agricultural waste products can be repurposed to solve environmental problems

Fungal Species: Pleurotus spp