Mushrooms—Biologically Distinct and Nutritionally Unique

Abstract

Mushrooms are fungi, biologically distinct from plant- and animal-derived foods (fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy, protein [meat, fish, poultry, legumes, nuts, and seeds]) that comprise the US Department of Agriculture food patterns operationalized by consumer-focused MyPlate messages. Although mushrooms provide nutrients found in these food groups, they also have a unique nutrient profile. Classified into food grouping systems by their use as a vegetable, mushrooms’ increasing use in main entrées in plant-based diets is growing, supporting consumers’ efforts to follow dietary guidance recommendations. Mushrooms’ nutrient and culinary characteristics suggest it may be time to reevaluate food groupings and health benefits in the context of 3 separate food kingdoms: plants/botany, animals/zoology, and fungi/mycology.

Chemistry, Nutrition, and Health-Promoting Properties of Hericium erinaceus (Lion’s Mane) Mushroom Fruiting Bodies and Mycelia and Their Bioactive Compounds

“…Because of the increasing availability of complete compositional data for different mushroom species, Feeney et al 1,3 suggest the need for mathematical modeling designed to optimize the nutritional and health potential of combinations of different fruiting bodies and mycelia followed by animal and human feeding studies to confirm the predicted benefits. It may be possible to help meet this need by applying a mathematical modeling method to the relationship of composition to nutritional and health properties of mushrooms developed by Finotti et al 57,58 for other food categories as well as principal component analysis of the bioactive H. erinaceus compounds as described for other mushroom species.…”

“…They are therefore distinct from biologically derived foods such as cereals, fruits, and vegetables, and meat and dairy products. 1 The distinctive flavor of mushrooms is associated with a high content of free amino acids, especially glutamic acid, and numerous volatile compounds. Many mushrooms contain enzymes such as polyphenol oxidase that catalyze rapid enzymatic browning reactions 52 and, therefore, darken rapidly when cut or crushed.…”

Rice-Straw Mushroom Production

“…RSM is known as a healthy food (Belewu and Belewu 2005;Feeney et al 2014b;USITC 2010). It has high protein, potassium, and phosphorus contents (Ahlawat and Tewari 2007) while being salt-free and low in alkalinity, fat, and cholesterol.…”

A natural food ingredient based on ergosterol: optimization of the extraction fromAgaricus blazei, evaluation of bioactive properties and incorporation in yogurts

“…Moreover, being a precursor of vitamin D2, ergosterol (and its derivatives) might enhance bone metabolism, immunity and mood. 13 Agaricus blazei Murrill (syn. Agaricus brasiliensis Wasser) is a Brazilian fungus widely known as the 'Sun Mushroom'.…”