Influence of calcium and silicon supplementation into Pleurotus ostreatus substrates on quality of fresh and canned mushrooms

Abstract

Supplements of gypsum (calcium source), pumice (silicon source) and pumice sulfate (silicon and calcium source) into substrates for oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus) were searched for their effects on production as well as qualities of fresh and canned mushrooms. The addition of pumice up to 30% had no effect on total yield, size distribution and cap diameters. The supplementation of gypsum at 10% decreased the total yield; and although gypsum at 5% did not affect total yield, the treatment increased the proportion of large-sized caps. High content (>10%) of pumice sulfate resulted in the lower yield. Calcium and silicon contents in the fruit bodies were not influenced by supplementations. The centrifugal drip loss values and solid content of fresh mushrooms, and the percentage of weight gained and firmness of canned mushrooms, cultivated in substrates supplemented with gypsum, pumice and pumice sulfate were significantly (p≤0.05) higher than those of the control. Scanning electron micrographs revealed the more compacted hyphae of mushroom stalks supplemented with silicon and/or calcium after heat treatment, compared to the control. Supplementation of P. ostreatus substrates with 20% pumice was the most practical treatment because it showed no effect on yield and the most cost-effective.

Influence of Calcium Silicate on the Chemical Properties of Pleurotus ostreatus var. florida (Jacq.) P. Kumm

“…Furthermore, the biological efficiency is also untouched as is the yield ratio and the productivity rate in either harvests (1st and 2nd flushes). Previous studies report similar findings, namely that the yield of production was not affected by the incorporation of calcium sources [8]. This is a positive effect, provided that supplementation would not be successful if it reduced any type of yield or productivity.…”

“…The decrease in yield in the second harvest of Pleurotus ostreatus var. florida was reported by Thongsook et al [8] and it's natural in mushroom production once the substrate begins to be spent. Table 2 shows the compounds that were detected in the chemical characterization of the mushrooms, namely ergosterol and its derivative, vitamin D 2 , along with various soluble sugars like fructose, mannitol, and trehalose, and also three tocopherols α-, β-, and γ-.…”

“…The biological efficiency (BE) is an important parameter to understand the capacity of the substrate to produce mushrooms, and thus, was calculated with the equation published by Thongsook and Kongbangkerd [8], for each flush:…”

“…Silicon (Si) is the second most abundant element in the earth's crust and its effect on organisms may be different, serving as a cellular chemical element or providing a natural morphological modification [7][8][9][10][11]. As a cellular chemical element, it plays an important role in the mineral nutrition of plants, aiding development by increasing the organism's biomass.…”

“…Over the past 20 years, the benefits of Si supplementation in crops have been disseminated, however, much of this information has not been consolidated, and to the authors' best knowledge, there are very few studies on the supplementation of Si in oyster mushroom cultivation. One report on the use of Si on oyster mushrooms was published by Thongsook and Kongbangkerd [8] and described the influence of calcium and silicon on the biological and production yields of P. ostreatus.…”