Nutritional and Medicinal values of

Mushroom

Dr.K.Manikandan
Scientist
Directorate of Mushroom Research

January 31, 2014

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Intro…..

Let kitchen be the apothecary;

and, Let foods be your medicine
- Hippocratus, 600 BC

• Strength for warriors : Greeks

• God’s gift : Romans
• Health food : Chinese
• Sports drinks : US

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 Complete & Quality Food

 Carbohydrate

Balanced proportion
 Protein

 Fat

 Minerals

 Vitamins

 Growth Promoting substances

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 Carbohydrates

- 35 – 80 %

- No starch
Delight of diabetics
- Less sugars

- Fibre : Dietary & Fermentable Avoids constipation

- Low calorific value Prevents Obesity

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 Protein

• Prominent source (FAO)

Fights malnutrition
• Varies from 4-12 %
Kwashiorkor disease
• High biological value

• Rich in Theronine and Valine

• Good for Infants, children, pregnant and lactating women

• Deficient in sulphur containing AA (Methionine & Cysteine)

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 Fat

 Little fat (< 1 to 8%)

 High unsaturatted fatty acids

 Absence of cholesterol Good for hearts

 Sterols : Ergosterol Precursor for Vit. D

Anon, 2002

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 Vitamins
• B Complex
• Thiamine : B1 Beri beri

• Riboflavin : B2 Skin crack, smooth tongue

• Niacin Pellagra

• Biotin Dermatitis & Hair loss

• Poor in A, D, E and K
• Exposed to UV light : Vitamin D2
• Traces of Folic acid and vitamin B12

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 Minerals and Trace elements

• Ash content : High (up to 9%)

• Potassium : 45% of ash

• P, Na & Ca

• Enough selenium Augments immune system

• Iron, Copper

• K: Na ratio : High Improves blood circulation

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Growth Promoting Substances

• Enzymes : Aromatase

• Alkaloids : Cordycepin , Lectins, Lovastatin

• Sterols : Erogoesterol

• Antioxidants : Ascorbic acid, Tri-terpenoids

• Unidentified : Complex organic compounds

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 Nutritive values of common edible mushrooms
(Dry weight basis; g / 100 g)
Mushroom CH Fibre Protein Fat Ash Energy
K cal
Agaricus bisporus 46.17 20.9 33.48 3.10 5.70 499
Pleurotus sajor-caju 63.40 48.6 19.23 2.70 6.32 412
Pleurotus ostreatus 57.60 8.70 30.40 2.20 9.80 265
Lentinula edodes 47.60 28.8 32.93 3.73 5.20 387
Vovariella volvaceae 54.80 5.50 37.50 2.60 1.10 305
Calocybe indica 64.26 32.40 17.69 4.10 7.43 391
Flammulina velutipes 73.10 3.70 17.60 1.90 7.40 378
Auricularia auricula 82.80 19.8 4.20 8.30 4.70 351
Varied sources

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 Biological Value of common foods

Food items Biological Value

Egg 94
Milk 90
Fish 76
Rice 80
Soya bean 75
Wheat 64
Mushroom > 75
Courtesy: Crisan and Sands, 1978

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 Medicinal Value …
- Folk medicine

- Biochemical compounds
- Polysaccharides
- Tri-terpenoids
- Alkaloids
- Low molecular weight proteins
- Glycoproteins
- Immunomodulating compounds
- Enzymes
- Unknown complex organic compounds

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 Medicinal Value….
- Boost health
- Promote immune function
- Lowers risk of cancer
- Decrease heart attack
- Diminishes blood sugar
- Ward off viruses, bacteria, and fungi
- Reduce inflammation
- Detoxification mechanisms
- Enhances young looking

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 Medicinal values of mushrooms ….

Stress buster
Improves eyes
Immunity
Diabetics
remedy Protection
Cures cancer Prevents
Heart attack
Protects Liver

Ergothionine
Stimulates
Prebiotics
Prevents aging /
Adrenalin
Skin shines
Beta Glucan
Enhances Blood
Viral Obesity
Kresin
Hepatitis Eridatine
Circulation
Antioxidants Promotes M
reduction
Aromatase
Lentinan Lovastatin
Scavenging Free cells
Arrests Tumor cell Increase
Lean Protein
Radical Microbial Food
Low Nastamina
Adopted from: www.bdesign.com
Reduce cell death High K
Lowers BP
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 Medicinal Mushrooms

Common Other…
• Armilariella mellea
• Ganoderma lucidum
• Marasmius spp
• Lentinula edodes • Tremella fuciformis

• A. polytricha
• Grifolia frondosa
• A. tubescens

• Cordyceps sinensis • Hericium erinaceus

• ……… > 700 species

• Trametes versicolor

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 Common edible mushrooms

 Oyster mushroom

 Lovastatin: lowering LDL cholesterol (Vedaras et al., 1985)

 Button mushroom

 Lectins : Enhance insulin secretion (Ahmad, 1984)

 Aromatase : Prevents breast cancer

 Paddy straw mushroom

Antioxidant properties

 Anti-tumor properties

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 Human clinical evaluations

 Lung cancer
 Ganopoly - 1800 mg / day; Gao et al., 2003
 Stomach & cancer colon
 Lentinan – Shitake mushroom; Hazama et al., 1995
 Adjuvant tumor therapy
 PSK of T. versicolor ; Lindequist et al., 1998
 Reduction of side effects of radiotherapy
 PSP of T. versicolor ; Mitomi et al., 1992
 Cytoxity to tumor cells
 Sterols from C. sinensis ; Bok et al., 1999

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 Influence on HIV
 Maitake
 Potent immuno-stimulant
 Induce cell death in destructive cells
 Protects T cells from HIV destruction
Adopted from: www.healthcastle.com
 Shitake stem extract
- Blocks reproduction of HIV cells
- Reduce damage to T cells

 T. versicolor : PSK and PSP has antiviral effect on HIV (Tochikura et al, 1987)

 F. velutipes : Velutin inhibits HIV-1 reverse transcriptase (Wang and Ng, 2001)

 Clinical trials going on ……… Yet to be proved

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 Trade Potential

• Total Mushroom : 34.14 Lakh tonnes*

• Medicinal Mushroom : 6000 tonnes**

: 4 b Dollars

• China : 4000 tonnes

• India : No defined data

Courtesy : *G. C Wakchaure, 2010

**Dahiya and Surjeet Singh, 2002

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 Commercial Products……….
Lower Blood Glucose Immune Defense Energy & Endurance Antioxidants

36 g : Rs. 1350 54 g : Rs. 3000 36 g : Rs. 1350 27 g : Rs. 1350

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Commercial Pharma products in India

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 Medicinal Mushroom Suppliers & Manufacturers
• > 800 world wide
Company Address - India
Aaryaa Green Planet Pvt Mr. Pradeep Rai (CEO)
Ltd. Opposite Gujarat Stadium, Motera Road, Ahmedabad
Ph: 9824414055 / 9714994655
Ecotech Technologies (India) Mr. Bimal Das
pvt ltd Shop No 3, Building No 7a, Sangeeta Apartment, Juhu
Road, Santacruz-W Zip/Postal : 400049
Telephone : 91-22-26604188
Himachal Products Shoghi Communications Limited, Plot No. 74, 75 Shoghi
Industrial Area, Shoghi, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, India
91-177-2860630/601
Aryan Mushrooms and Mr. Akshay Tyagi ; Postal : 110070; Ph: 91-11-32954754
Bio Fuels
Perumacheril Ms. Sheetal Dawar ; Postal : 686 531 Ph: 91-481-2430455
3i Overseas Mr. Sanjay Patel ; Pin: 395006; Ph: 982-5107895
Bon Options Mr. Hara Acharya ; Postal : 396230 : Ph: 0260-5537174

Adopted from: http://www.himfr.com/buy-medicinal_mushroom/

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Summary ….

 Mushroom Diet : Vital for Quality Life

Challenges ahead ……...

 Vast number of wild mushrooms are not yet explored
 Utility of mycelia is paid little attention
 How it works
 Lacking knowledge
- Dose requirement
- Route and time of administration
- Mechanism of action
- Site of activity

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At the end….
 Don’t look on edible mushrooms alone
 Differ from others in thought
 Winners don't do different things, they do things
differently - Shiv Khera
 Think on Diversification
 Include high value medicinal mushrooms, processing, etc
 Reduce the cost of farming and risk
 Excel in your business and helps India to grow

kmanikandan@icar.org.in

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Directorate of Mushroom Research
(Indian Council of Agricultural Research)
Chambaghat, Solan – 173213 (HP) INDIA

Phone : 01792-230767, 230451

Fax : 01792-231207
Email: directordmr@gmail.com
Website : www.nrcmushroom.org
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