INCREASING THE NUTRITIONAL QUALITY OF PLEUROTUS ERYNGII BY GAMMA IRRADIATION OF LIVING MYCELIUM

Pleurotus eryngii, known as oyster mushroom, is a commercially cultivated edible mushroom, widely appreciated for its good taste and texture. In this study, we investigated the influence of low doses of gamma irradiation (between 100 and 300 Gy) applied to the living mycelium of two strains of P. eryngii (PeM39 and PeM41), in order to enhance the synthesis of bioactive metabolites with nutritional values. For this purpose, we determined the content of polyphenols, flavonoids, proteins and carbohydrates in ethanol extracts (70%) of P. eryngii fruiting bodies obtained from irradiated mycelium. The results showed that, in the fruiting bodies of both strains, the 300 Gy dose was optimal for stimulating an increase in phenols, flavonoid and carbohydrate content, and the 200 Gy dose was optimal for increasing protein content. Thus, gamma-irradiation treatment of mycelial inoculum may be an effective tool for stimulating the synthesis of secondary metabolites with antioxidant and nutritional properties in P. eryngii.