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Made available in DSpace on 2020-12-12T02:41:15Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2020-12-01 Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) New species of medicinal mushrooms have emerged over the past several decades, such as the Sun mushroom, Agaricus subrufescens. Horticultural improvements are required to shift its cultivation from small-scale local production to large-scale international production. The research reported here evaluated the agronomic behavior and the chemical characteristics of the Sun mushroom as a function of i) nutritional supplementation ii) ruffling of the casing layer and iii) the temperature management on the primordia induction and reduction of the crop cycle. Supplementation was beneficial for yield, unit mushroom weigh and decrease in time to first harvest. Supplementation improved biological efficiency with Champfood providing a yield increase of 15% over the non-supplemented compost. Among the supplements only Promycel increased the individual mushroom weight. Ruffling overall improved the yield in the 2nd and 4th flush. Already biological efficiency was greater by 21%. The highest yield harvested in any single day in the crop occurred in 3rd flush with the amount of 2.484 kg of mushrooms per m2 for the rapid induction method. Still the biological efficiency was not significantly affected by the mushroom induction temperature method. Only the fat content of the mushrooms was positively affected by the rapid induction of primordia. Champfood supplement promotes a reduction in the value of earliness and an increase of 1st flush yield. The ruffling technique provided an increase in biological efficiency due to the great number of mushrooms harvested. Rapid primordia induction allowed the crop cycle to end 3 days earlier than the slow primordia induction, providing a higher production rate. Centro de Investigación Experimentación y Servicios del Champiñón (CIES) Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros Agrónomos Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha Universidade Federal de Lavras Departamento de Biologia University of Guelph Vineland Campus VinelandStation Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP) Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Tecnológicas (FCAT) Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP) Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Tecnológicas (FCAT) FAPESP: FAPESP 2018/21492-2

Made available in DSpace on 2022-05-01T08:44:58Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2022-03-01 Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) No in-depth investigation exists on the feasibility of integrating hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) and pelletization into the process of making spent mushroom substrate (SMS), an agro-food residue from the commercial mushroom industry, into an adsorbent for post-combustion CO2 removal. Therefore, this study analyzed if it could be possible for systematically converting low-pressure hydrochars of various SMSs into carbon-adsorbing mini-capsules. Sources of SMS included paddy straw and achiote capsule shell from Pleurotus ostreatus; eucalyptus sawdust and grassy straw from Lentinula edodes; and compost containing peat or soil as casing layer from Agaricus subrufescens. The eucalyptus sawdust and grassy straw from L. edodes outperformed the other biomaterials in adsorbing CO2, and thus effectively encapsuled most of the gas, 8.25 mmol g−1 and 8.10 mmol g−1, respectively. They contained mostly hetero-atoms of O and N, requiring less unit energy to bind acidic molecules of CO2 at the alkaline sites. The amount of unit energy the pore-filling process demanded at 25 °C was 12.65 kJ mol−1, an attribute of self-sustaining and saleable physisorption. A negative 6.80 kJ mol−1 free energy validated both spontaneity and exothermal of biocarbons at steady-state atmosphere. The major findings and innovations of our study support utilizing SMS as an adsorbent as a carbon capture, storage and utilization networking. Our insights into the physisorption-chemisorption on SMS are timely and relevant to help manage the re-use of SMS, and thus bring the global mushroom industry closer to environmental sustainability and toward a lower carbon society and circular economy. Department of Applied Microbiology School of Agricultural and Veterinarian Sciences São Paulo State University (Unesp), São Paulo Department of Engineering and Exact Sciences School of Agricultural and Veterinarian Sciences São Paulo State University (Unesp), São Paulo Department of Plant Production College of Agricultural and Technological Sciences São Paulo State University (Unesp), São Paulo Department of Biology Federal University of Lavras, Lavras University of Guelph Vineland Campus, Vineland Station Centro de Investigación Experimentación y Servicios del Champiñón (CIES), Quintanar del Rey Department of Applied Microbiology School of Agricultural and Veterinarian Sciences São Paulo State University (Unesp), São Paulo Department of Engineering and Exact Sciences School of Agricultural and Veterinarian Sciences São Paulo State University (Unesp), São Paulo Department of Plant Production College of Agricultural and Technological Sciences São Paulo State University (Unesp), São Paulo FAPESP: 15/15306–3 FAPESP: 17/24234–1 FAPESP: 19/19866–4

No in-depth investigation exists on the feasibility of integrating hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) and pelletization into the process of making spent mushroom substrate (SMS), an agro-food residue from the commercial mushroom industry, into an adsorbent for post-combustion CO

Made available in DSpace on 2020-12-12T02:21:26Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2020-11-20 Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) Development and implementation of strategies targeting downstream steps to convert spent mushroom substrate into energy or bioproducts are an urgent matter. This may ensure that edible mushrooms are both sustainable to cultivate and also are able to be competitive with conventional sources of proteins. Accordingly, this study aimed at developing an integrated system to firstly produce oyster mushroom on sugarcane bagasse shaped into briquettes, then, recycle its spent material into fuel grade biosolids. To make special briquettes for production of P. ostreatus var. florida, sugarcane bagasse, corn meal, wheat bran, and calcitic limestone at the ratio of 30: 2.5: 2.5: 1 m m−1 (dry matter) were placed together in polyethylene bags, water added to 40, 60 and 80% moisture, then, pressed at 15, 30, 45, and 60 MPa using a pilot-scale hydraulic piston presser. At the end of thirty days of axenic cultivation, the spent material was dried and milled, then, reconverted into briquettes at the standard-pressure of 120 MPa. Production briquettes of 45 MPa, with 60 and 80% moisture, had the greatest productivity of mushrooms, 28.30% and 30.40%, and generated the lowest quantities of spent substrate, 46.70% and 44.80%, respectively. The relative energy density in solid biofuels from recycling the highest producers was the lowest, 2865.40 MJ kg−3 and 2573.05 MJ kg−3, respectively. In conclusion, a complete system of cultivating P. ostreatus var. florida and producing briquettes was successfully developed. This concept technically was efficiency in converting lignocellulosic residues into high-performance substrates for protein-rich food production. As well, this recycled the spent mushroom substrates into medium-quality fuel grade biosolids. Department of Phytosanitary Rural Engineering and Soils School of Engineering São Paulo State University (Unesp) Ilha Solteira Campus Department of Plant Production College of Agricultural and Technological Sciences São Paulo State University (Unesp) Dracena Campus São Paulo State University (Unesp) Itapeva Campus Department of Biology Federal University of Lavras University of Guelph Vineland Campus, Vineland Station Department of Phytosanitary Rural Engineering and Soils School of Engineering São Paulo State University (Unesp) Ilha Solteira Campus Department of Plant Production College of Agricultural and Technological Sciences São Paulo State University (Unesp) Dracena Campus São Paulo State University (Unesp) Itapeva Campus FAPESP: 15/07772–4 FAPESP: 15/15306–3

Made available in DSpace on 2018-12-11T17:35:12Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2017-08-01 Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG) Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) Agaricus subrufescens growers have faced difficulties in standardizing and maintaining optimal production yield, even when they produce or acquire quality substrate, as cultivation success is also related to the quality of the casing layer and the production environment. The production of A. subrufescens was evaluated using different casing layers and methods for primordia induction. Three experiments were carried out: 1) to evaluate the effect of dolomitic limestone in the casing layer; 2) to evaluate the effect of different combinations of mineral and organic materials used as the casing layer; and 3) to evaluate the effect of temperature in primordia induction with two commercial strains. The results demonstrated that an increase in the limestone concentration in the casing resulted in a superior yield (16.7%). Casing layer combinations using organic substrate + sand (proportion 1:1, volume to volume) resulted in a greater yield (19.2%). Temperature did not affect primordia induction. Universidade Federal de Lavras (UFLA) Departamento de Biologia Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP) Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Tecnológicas (FCAT) Department of Plant Agriculture University of Guelph Instituto Federal do Triangulo Mineiro Campus de Ituiutaba Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP) Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Tecnológicas (FCAT) FAPEMIG: 02348/11 FAPESP: 2015/15306-3

Made available in DSpace on 2020-12-12T02:27:16Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2019-01-01 Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG) The shiitake culinary-medicinal mushroom Lentinus edodes is one of the most consumed species worldwide because it has nutritional, medicinal, and palatable properties. Its organoleptic characteristics contribute substantially to its high popularity. The pleasant aromas result from the presence of volatile compounds. The objective of the present work was to study the profiles of volatile constituents of fresh fruiting bodies of five strains of L. edodes. The volatile compounds were extracted by solid phase microextraction method and analyzed by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. The aromatic profiles of the strains revealed variability. Both alcohols and sulfides were the most abundant volatile compounds. LE6 strain presented the highest number of volatile compounds with predominance of sulfides (dimethyl pentasulfide, s-tetrathiane) and for LE2, the aldehydes were the most representative chemical class with the main volatile being (E)-2-octen-1-al. Universidade Federal de Lavras (UFLA) Departamento de Biologia (DBI) Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP) Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Tecnológicas (FCAT) University of Guelph Department of Plant Agriculture Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP) Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Tecnológicas (FCAT) CAPES: 001

Made available in DSpace on 2020-12-12T02:34:52Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2019-01-01. Added 1 bitstream(s) on 2021-07-15T15:07:40Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 S1413-70542019000100237.pdf: 477841 bytes, checksum: 79985e4a2e197f912192be85060d8d47 (MD5) The production of Agaricus bisporus results in significant residual material after cultivation. Due to its physical properties and nutrient content Spent Mushroom Substrate (SMS) has great potential for use in agriculture. Our study evaluated the feasibility of using SMS as an alternative substrate for the production of Paronset® hybrid tomato seedlings and as an organic fertilizer in its production. To conduct the fruit production experiment, the plots consisted of three types of fertilizers (SMS of A. bisporus, NPK and bovine manure) with four replications. The seedlings produced in the SMS presented higher rates of germination time and speeds, and stood out from the other substrates in the evaluation of seedling quality. In the tomato fruit production phase, the average production of the plants originating from the SMS was 20% higher than the seedlings from the commercial substrate. The plants cultivated with the SMS presented higher production than the plants cultivated with bovine manure incorporated the soil. According to our results, The SMS was as good as the commercial substrates tested. Therefore, the SMS can be recommended for the growth and nutrition of seedling production and denotes potential viability for use in the tomato production cycle in its different phases. Universidade Federal de Lavras/UFLA Departamento de Biologia/DBI Universidade Estadual Paulista/UNESP Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Tecnológicas University of Guelph Department of Plant Agriculture Universidade Estadual Paulista/UNESP Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Tecnológicas

Made available in DSpace on 2019-10-03T17:31:23Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2019-09-01. Added 1 bitstream(s) on 2019-10-04T16:20:31Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 S0101-20612019000300774.pdf: 2428207 bytes, checksum: 7cf869124e4f6f4707990ec966996d7f (MD5) AbstractShiitake is an important edible and medicinal mushroom cultivated worldwide. Its cultivation involves a complex process of browning that precedes the primordia initiation. The present work through the evaluation of enzymes, lectin and β-glucan during the cultivation cycle of Lentinula edodes, the degradation of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin, attempted to correlate these with mushroom yield. Strains UFLA-LE1, UFLA-LE2 and UFLA-LE6 consumed significantly more hemicelluloses than the other three strains with strain LE5 consuming significantly the most lignin of all six strains. Strains UFLA-LE4 and UFLA-LE6 were significantly the most productive. The laccase activity increased continuously until the end of the cultivation for all strains. Manganese peroxidase activities, except for UFLA-LE3, remained relatively stable. On the other hand, lignin peroxidase was the main lignin-modifying enzyme with much higher activity compared to laccase and manganese peroxidase. Tyrosinase activity was stable at an elevated level during the cultivation cycle, dramatically reaching the highest activity at the end of the cultivation period. The amounts of lectin and β-glucan varied greatly depending on the strain and the time of cultivation. Despite the many differences between strains in all evaluated parameters no direct association to the browning process was observed. Universidade Federal de Lavras Departamento de Biologia Universidade Estadual Paulista Escola de Ciências e Tecnologia Agrícola University of Guelph Department of Plant Agriculture Universidade Estadual Paulista Escola de Ciências e Tecnologia Agrícola

Dry bubble disease is a major problem in the commercial cultivation of Agaricus bisporus. In Brazil, there are no fungicides registered by the Ministry of Agriculture for control of disease in the cultivation of A. bisporus , nevertheless growers use daily fungicide on crops. The selection of strains more adapted to rustic conditions and tolerant to Lecanicillium fungicola is another alternative to avoid yield losses. Thereunto four experiments were conducted. Two cropping trials were set up in mushroom growing rooms (with and without the presence of the pathogen), and two in vitro trials with varying dilutions and active ingredient (iprodione and difenoconazole) of products were performed in lab. Our results suggest that some commercial strains of A. bisporus are more tolerant to the pathogen than others. Up to 76.5% yield loss may be caused by the pathogen under experimental conditions. Among the 15 strains studied, only one strain, ABI 11/16 was the more productive in the presence of the pathogen, even with unmarketable diseased mushrooms. The only strain that showed “in vitro” mycelial growth similar to L. fungicola was ABI 09/10; however, its yield is not high and the experimental conditions resulted in a 64% reduction in yield due to the presence of the pathogen. Difenoconazole more strongly inhibited the mycelial growth of L. fungicola than did iprodione; however, neither fungicide was selective against L. fungicola .

The aim of this research was to evaluate the application of different microbial additives during composting, on some parameters of the production of Agaricus subrufescens.Compost was prepared over two weeks with ammonia assimilating bacterial and a thermophillic fungus as microbiological additives. These additives were introduced during two week composting to promote greater selectivity of the substrate cultivation and provide increased productivity of mushrooms. The data shows that the microbiological additives used in composting had a significantly higher productivity, when compared to treatments without additives. These species can be used as microbiological additives inA. subrufescens cultivation. Key words: Agaricus subrufescens, microbial additives, productivity, composting, mushroom sun.

Casing materials and practices used in the cultivation of Agaricus bisporus were evaluated in the cultivation of Agaricus subrufescens, using the best techniques for optimization of production, including the possibility of re-casing of the compost for the production of a second crop of mushroom. Casing based on peat moss, loam soil or coir was compared to casing material mixed with or without spawn-run compost. Based on the results, we conclude that the casing layer used in the cultivation of A. subrufescens should not necessarily be the same as that used in the cultivation of A. bisporus. For the tested strain cultivated with loam soil as casing layer, the ruffling technique is highly superior to CACing and should be pursued in further research. The re-casing of compost in new cycles showed good results suggesting that the currently used compost could be improved.

Made available in DSpace on 2018-12-11T17:29:25Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2016-10-01 Shiitake mushroom consumption is increasing in Brazil. In addition to the implementation of new production methods, it is also important to increase productivity, quality and reduce production costs. In this study, six commercial Lentinula edodes strains were characterized for genetic diversity (rep-PCR analysis) and mushroom production (yield, number and weight of individual mushrooms) using different substrates and cultural conditions. All strains showed genetic differences by repetitive element palindromic based-polymerase chain reaction (rep-PCR). The richest substrate resulted in the greatest production under both environmental conditions. Strains LE4 and LE6 produced the majority of their mushrooms earlier than the other strains. The highest number of mushrooms was observed in the LE6 strain while the highest weights of individual mushrooms were observed in the LE4 strain. Controlled environmental conditions resulted in superior production for all strains, except for LE4, which had empirically greater yield in the semi-controlled environmental condition. Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Tecnológicas (FCAT) Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP) Departamento de Biologia Universidade Federal de Lavras (UFLA), PO Box 3037 Department of Plant Agriculture University of Guelph Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Tecnológicas (FCAT) Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP)

The nutritional requirements of A. brasiliensis in culture media were assessed by supplementing a basal medium (g L-1): (glucose, 10, KH2PO4, 1, MgSO4.7H2O, 0.5, [NH4]2SO4, 1, pH 5.5) with CaCl2, trace elements (FeSO4.7H2O; MnCl2.4H2O; ZnSO4.7H2O; CuSO4.5H2O), casein, yeast extract, peptone, B-vitamins or amino acids. Evaluations were based on the mycelial growth in solid or liquid culture (mm day-1 or mg day-1) and visual analysis of the colony. The addition of CaCl2 and trace elements was very important for the major mycelial growth of the fungi. The addition of casein and inositol to the medium did not have a significant effect on growth. The best growth result in solid medium was obtained with the basal medium plus the addition of yeast extract and peptone. In relation to the other nutrient sources, the mycelial growth in the presence of amino acids darkened the medium after two weeks. The addition of B-vitamins to the basal medium lead to slower mycelial growth; however, growth was more visually dense when compared to other nutritional sources. B-vitamins added separately did not have the same result, suggesting that the fungus requires two or more vitamins at the same time for better mycelial growth.The nutritional requirements of A. brasiliensis in culture media were assessed by supplementing a basal medium (g L-1): (glucose, 10, KH2PO4, 1, MgSO4.7H2O, 0.5, [NH4]2SO4, 1, pH 5.5) with CaCl2, trace elements (FeSO4.7H2O; MnCl2.4H2O; ZnSO4.7H2O; CuSO4.5H2O), casein, yeast extract, peptone, B-vitamins or amino acids. Evaluations were based on the mycelial growth in solid or liquid culture (mm day-1 or mg day-1) and visual analysis of the colony. The addition of CaCl2 and trace elements was very important for the major mycelial growth of the fungi. The addition of casein and inositol to the medium did not have a significant effect on growth. The best growth result in solid medium was obtained with the basal medium plus the addition of yeast extract and peptone. In relation to the other nutrient sources, the mycelial growth in the presence of amino acids darkened the medium after two weeks. The addition of B-vitamins to the basal medium lead to slower mycelial growth; however, growth was more visually dense when compared to other nutritional sources. B-vitamins added separately did not have the same result, suggesting that the fungus requires two or more vitamins at the same time for better mycelial growth.

This study was performed to evaluate the efficiency of using softwood as the sawdust medium for Lentinula edodes cultivation, effect of nutrient on the mycelial growth, spawning, the mushroom yield, and quality. The nitrogen nutrition significantly enhanced the mycelial growth of L. edodes. The glutamic acid in the L. leptolepis and P. koraiensis, and asparagine in the P. densiflora were appeared to slight increase in the mycelial growth. The vegetable oil showed very effective on the mycelial growth in the P. koraiensis sawdust medium. Carbon/nitrogen ratio of all the test was reduced after mycelial growth. The mycelial growth was exclusively dependent on reduction of carbon. The mushroom yield (32.7%) of the P. densiflora sawdust medium (carbon source: 3% active carbon, nitrogen source: 0.4% asparagines) was the best in mushroom production of L. edodes, followed by the Q. variabilis sawdust (35.4%) of the control medium. The diameter of mushroom cap was obtained from the P. densiflora sawdust (carbon source: 3% sucrose, nitrogen source: 0.4% potassium nitrate) and P. koraiensis sawdust (carbon source: 3% sucrose, nitrogen source: 0.4% potassium nitrate), and the P. koraiensis sawdust (carbon source: 3% xylose, nitrogen source: 0.4% glutamic acid, supplement: 0.05% amino acid), with values 71.5 mm, 71.5 mm and 72.1 mm, respectively. In the polypropylene bag cultivation, the weight losses of the block medium gradually increased for 80 days in the dark (13.8~16.8%) and then became stable in the range of 20.7~25.8%.

Agaricus brasiliensis is a medicinal mushroom native to Brazil. It was first identified as Agaricus blazei and its scientific name continues to be debated. We examined the cytology of different Brazilian commercial strains of A. brasiliensis and the nuclear behavior of strain CS1 during basidiospore development using fluorescent microscopy. All strains have multinucleate hyphae and no significant differences in nuclei numbers were observed between them. Basidia from A. brasiliensis strain CS1 are typically tetrasporics and produce binucleate basidiospores, demonstrating that a postmeiotic mitosis occurs during basidiospore development. This result suggests that A. brasiliensis is primarily a heterothallic species.

Trichoderma harzianum is a ubiquitously distributed asexual soil fungus that produces a variety of antibiotic compounds. Colonisation of soil inhabited by competing microbiota is facilitated by the antibiotic activity of these compounds. In addition, T. harzianum produces hydrolytic enzymes that degrade the cell wall components of many microorganisms, which can then be used as a source of nutrients. Recently, biotypes of T. harzianum differing morphologically from those originally described by Rifai were isolated on commercial mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) farms. These 'aggressive' biotypes cause devastating crop loss on mushroom farms. The aggressive biotype in North America was originally known as 'Th4' but has been recently renamed Trichoderma aggressivum f. aggressivum. In contrast, 'non-aggressive' biotypes, have no noticeable effect on the crop, are similar to T. harzianum and are commonly found on mushroom farms. The mechanism of disease establishment is unknown. We have identified a metabolite produced by T. aggressivum isolates in vitro that inhibits growth of A. bisporus and other fungi. This antifungal compound is not produced by 'non-aggressive' T. harzianum isolates under the culture conditions tested and is identified as 3,4-dihydro-8-hydroxy-3-methylisocoumarin. Another compound was isolated from both liquid culture and infested compost. Although its chemical structure could not be precisely determined, this compound also inhibits A. bisporus growth, is predominant in infested compost and likely has a inhibitory effect on the mycelia present in mushroom compost, resulting in devastating crop loss.

Agaricus brasiliensis cultures quickly lose viability when stored at cool temperatures, even for a short period of time. We evaluated several low-cost preservation methods using varied substrates, preservation solutions, and storage temperatures. Agaricus brasiliensis was intolerant to freezing temperatures, making liquid nitrogen use and deep-freezing methods impossible for its preservation. The best preservation conditions for the A. brasiliensis CS1 strain tested in this study were obtained by using rice as substrate and water as preservation solution, with storage at room temperature or when using soil, mushroom cultivation compost, or rice and stored at 10 °C without preservation solution. Those cultures that were reactivated showed the same productivity attributes as the control. In addition, no effect on productivity or biological efficiency was observed through successive subculturing of the strain (CS1). Parboiled rice was successfully used for other A. brasiliensis strains (CS2, CS5, CS7, CS9, and CS10), and also for Pleurotus ostreatus, P. sajor-caju, and Lentinula edodes.

This article investigated the mycochemical profiles and the antioxidant activities of the lipophilic extracts of the white and brown button mushrooms. We found that only free ergosterols were present in both mushrooms at 2.04-4.82 mg/g dry matter (DM). Ergosterol concentration was higher in early growth stages but decreased as the mushrooms grew, and it distributed evenly between the caps and stems during early developmental stages but accumulated more in the caps after maturation. The photochemiluminescence (PCL) values of the two mushrooms were 5.49-10.48 nmol trolox equivalent/mg DM, and the EC50 values of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay ranged 20.19-41.49 mg DM/μg DPPH. The ergosterol content positively correlated with the antioxidant activities (r2>0.89). The total fatty acid content was 8.7 mg/g DM in the white and 5.1 mg/g DM in the brown button mushroom and contained mainly linoleic, palmitic, and stearic acids. Our data provide guidance for optimized harvesting time of mushrooms and maximized health benefits.

Commercial productivity of the Agaricus blazei mushroom is closely related to both the quality of the compost and the choice of soil to be used as a casing material. This study aims to evaluate Agaricus blazei's productivity using two compost formulations and three soils. The two compost formulations were (i) crushed sugarcane bagasse (Saccharum officinarum (L.)) and Coastcross hay (Cynidon dactylon (L.) Pers.), and (ii) crushed sugarcane bagasse (Saccharum officinarum (L.)) and corn husk (Zea mays L.); they were amended with wheat bran, lime, gypsum, superphosphate and urea. The casing materials were extracted from three soils classed as Rhodic Hapludox, Xanthic Hapludox, and Humic Haplaquox. The Rhodic Hapludox soil material was mixed with fragments of Eucalyptus charcoal in the proportion of 4:1. The compost was prepared during six weeks and thereafter heat treated during 48 h at the end of the composting period. The sugarcane bagasse:coast-hay compost was superior to the sugarcane bagasse: corn husk compost. The Rhodic Hapludox plus charcoal casing material showed to be a better casing material than either the Xanthic Hapludox and Humic Haplaquox soil materials. The choice of the soils where the casing material is taken is an important factor to the success of the Agaricus blazei mushroom cultivation.

The essential oil obtained from the leaves of Chamaecyparis obtusa was analyzed by GC and GC–MS. α-Terpinyl acetate, sabinene, isobornyl acetate and limonene were found to be the major components. The oil showed relatively strong antibacterial activities against Gram (+) bacteria and some fungi.

Ammonia suppressants are applied to chicken litter to decrease ammonia levels. And mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) producers use poultry litter to increase the nitrogen in the compost. To determine the influence of ammonia suppressants used in poultry litter on compost preparation and mushroom production, four mushroom crops were cultivated from compost prepared using litter treated with PLT, Barn Fresh and Impact-P at 25.22 kg/100 m 2 , 40 kg/100 m 2 , and 0.49 kg/100 m 2 , respectively, during the poultry production process. In general, no significant differences (P > 0.05) were noted between treatments for total nitrogen, ammonia, pH, EC, ash, and moisture when compost or the headspace air was sampled during compost preparation throughout all stages. Nor were mushroom yields or counts significantly affected (P > 0.05) by the presence of ammonia suppressants in the poultry litter. Thus, the mushroom industry can confidently use poultry litter amended with PLT, Impact-P, and Barn Fresh when used at the recommended rates.