Chemical evaluation of some lesser known edible mushroom mycelia produced in submerged culture from soy milk waste

The feasibility of using food waste, such as soy milk residue, to produce nutritive fungal biomass was evaluated. Edible mushroom mycelia of Volvariella bombycina, Lyophyllum ulmarius and Pleurotus citrinopilealus were produced in liquid culture containing soy milk waste. The chemical composition of the mushroom mycelia is reported and compared with that of the mushroom fruiting bodies. There were great similarities in the crude protein, lipid, ash and nucleic acid contents between the mycelia and fruiting bodies. Differences were observed in the amount of total dietary fibre and amino acid composition. Lysine was the limiting amino acid found in all mushroom samples. In general, the nutritional quality of the proteins from the mushroom mycelia, as measured by their essential amino acid score, was comparable to those of the fruiting bodies and the FAO/WHO requirement pattern. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.