Effect of Food Waste Compost on the Antler-Type Fruiting Body Yield of Ganoderma lucidum

Mushroom research and production have received increased attention in recent years because of the recognition that mushrooms are a nutritious food with health-stimulating properties and medicinal effects [1]. In Korea, China, Japan, and Taiwan, Ganoderma lucidum has long been a popular traditional or Oriental medicine used for treatment of various human diseases including hepatitis, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and gastric cancer [1, 2]. This species normally forms shelf-like fruiting bodies (FBs) on tree-trunks, but when grown in darkness and poor ventilation conditions some strains produce an antler-type FB [3] that is rarely found in the wild. In modern production systems, G. lucidum is cultivated on a mixture of sawdust (SD) and wood-chips in bottles or bags [3]. During G. lucidum production, raw materials and the preparation of selective compost for FB production are major cost inputs. Therefore, growers are seeking ways to reduce their production costs by increasing bio-efficiency [4]. Recently, the addition of food waste to the G. lucidum growth medium has been considered because this practice has the dual benefits of increasing FB yield and disposing of organic wastes [1]. In Korea, large amounts of food wastes are produced. Currently, such waste is recycled as fertilizer. Food waste compost (FWC) is a nutritionally rich and complex product low in toxic constituents that can be fed to heterotrophic organisms such as fungi [5]. A mixture of SD and rice bran (RB) is one of a variety of possible substrates for mushroom production. Therefore, several types of mushrooms including G. lucidum are commercially cultivated in SD media consisting of a mixture of SD and RB. However, little information is available regarding how addition of FWC to growth media affects mushroom production. Thus, the objectives of this study were to evaluate the applicability of FWC as a substrate for G. lucidum cultivation and estimate the FWC content at which FB production is greatest.