Oyster Mushroom

SpawnOyster mushrooms are grown from mycelium(threadlike filaments that become interwoven)propagated on a base of steam-sterilized cereal grain(usually rye or millet). This cereal grain/myceliummixture is called spawn and is used to seed mushroomsubstrate. Most spawn is made with myceliumfrom a stored culture, rather than myceliumwhose parent was a spore. This is because spores arelikely to yield a new strain and performance wouldbe unpredictable. Spawn-making is a rathercomplex task and not feasible for the commonmushroom grower. Spawn of various oystermushroom species may be purchased from commercialspawn makers who usually provide instructionsfor its use. Spawn frequently is shipped fromthe manufacturer to growers in the same asepticcontainers used for spawn production. Inoculumsfor spawn production is frequently produced inpolyethylene bags containing a micro porousbreather strip for gas exchange. Most commercialspawn production companies produce spawn onlyfrom inoculums that has met strict quality controlstandards. These standards include verification ofinoculums production performance before it is usedto produce spawn and insurance of the spawn’sbiological purity and vigor.

A very good source of selenium and also providing vitamin D, the popular mushroom provides a good nutritional mixture.•Oyster mushrooms (and mushrooms in general) are an excellent source of niacin (vitamin B3) which helps to stabilize the blood sugar, helps the body to process fats and helps to lower cholesterol levels.•Mushrooms are also an excellent source of pantothenic acid (vitamin B5) which helps to turn carbohydrates and fats into energy and also plays a part in the health of the adrenal glands.•Mushrooms are a very good source of selenium which helps to protect the bodies' cells from free radical damage and also enables the thyroid gland to function properly.•Mushrooms are a good source of riboflavin (vitamin B2) which helps to protect the bodies' cells from oxygen damage and also maintain the supply of other B vitamins.•Mushrooms also provide vitamin D which helps to keep bones strong and healthy, reduces inflammation, and helps to regulate the growth of the bodies' cells.•One cup of mushrooms contains around 28 calories.

Nutritional Value

Nutrient Units

1.00 X 1 cup sliced -------86g

Proximates

Water g 76.69

Energy kcal 28Energy kJ 120Protein g 2.85

Total lipid (fat) g 0.35

Ash g 0.87

Carbohydrate, by difference

g 5.24

Fiber, total dietary g 2.0

Sugars, total g 0.95

Sucrose g 0.00

Glucose (dextrose) g 0.95

Fructose g 0.00

Lactose g 0.00Maltose g 0.00

Galactose g 0.00

Starch g 0.00

productionare chopped wheat straw (Triticum aestivum L)or cottonseed hulls (Gossypium hirsutum L) ormixtures of both. For production on wheat straw,the material is milled to a length of about 2 to 6cm. Production of Pleurotus spp. on cottonseedhulls has some advantages over straw-basedproduction systems in that chopping of the hulls isnot required. One of the most common substratesused on modern mushroom farms is a mixture of75 percent cottonseed hulls, 24 percent wheatstraw, and 1 percent ground limestone. Thismixture of cottonseed hulls and wheat straw has ahigher water holding capacity than cottonseed hullsused alone. At Penn State’s Mushroom ResearchCenter (MRC), a large-capacity, scale-mountedfeed mixer (Figure 1) is used to simultaneouslygrind and mix the material as water is added toincrease the moisture content to 67 to 69 percent.Pasteurization. On some commercial mushroomfarms, ingredients are fed into revolving mixers,water is added to the desired level, and live steam isinjected into the mixer while in operation. At theMRC, moistened, mixed substrate is filled intogalvanized metal boxes with perforated floors(Figure 2). The substrate is pasteurized with aeratedsteam at 65oC for 1 hour by passing the air-steammixture through the substrate from top to bottom.After pasteurization is complete, filtered air (HEPAfilter, 99.9 percent efficiency) is passed through thesubstrate for cooling (approximately 1.5 hours).

Production in Bags

After spawning, the bags or bottles may be movedto a spawn run room where air temperature ismaintained at 18–2oC. Relative humidity ismaintained at 95 to 98 percent to minimize dryingof the substrate surfaces. Only recirculated air isused for cooling and air distribution. The first 12to 21 days of spawn run may be completed withoutartificial lighting. Spawn run in bags usuallyrequires less time (depending on the amount ofspawn used) than spawn run in bottles. This isbecause spawn is thoroughly mixed in substratecontained in bags. For bottle production, thespawn is placed in a hole made in the center of thesubstrate contained in the bottle, so mycelium musthave enough time to reach the edges of the substratebefore pinning is initiated. This differencemay only be 3 to 4 days. At the end of the spawnrun period, 4 hours of light may be provided dailyby cool white fluorescent bulbs. Light intensity,measured at various locations in the growing room,may range from 50 to 300 lux, and the lightingcycle often is controlled automatically. At time ofpinning, sufficient fresh air is introduced to lowerCO2 levels below 700 ppm.

Production Condition

As consumers become more aware of the additionalculinary characteristics offered by a variety ofmushrooms, demand for oyster mushrooms willincrease. The development of improved technologyto cultivate each species more efficiently will allowthe consumer price to decline. At the same time,product quality should increase, thus furtheringdemand.It is anticipated that oyster mushroom productionin the India will continue to increase due totheir relative ease of production. However, researchis needed to extend the shelf life of these mushroomsand to improve consistency of production.Production of various species of Pleurotus allowsgrowers to take advantage of the many colors of thefruiting body for marketing purposes.

Future Outlook

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