Wheat Bran: A Supplement for Mushroom Cultivation in Nigeria

By E.N. Ekpo,

O.O. Olasupo,

and M.A. Eriavbe

February 2009

INTRODUCTION

Mushrooms are appreciated for their good taste and nutritional value. They are commonly gathered in the wild. Mushrooms can be grown by poor households in a sustainable way to create a source of livelihood, improve nutrition, and empower women.

The income from edible mushrooms is an important source of revenue for rural communities, especially in developing countries. The Food and Agriculture Organization (2004) reports that there are nearly a hundred species of fungi that can be cultivated. Pleurotus species account for nearly three quarters of the cultivated mushrooms grown around the world (Chang, 1999). Many of the common edible species have therapeutic effects, and several medicinal mushrooms are also eaten.

Mushroom cultivation can help reduce malnutrition, because mushrooms can serve as substitutes for other sources of protein. Mushrooms are an important protein source that also provide vitamins (B1, B2, C) and minerals as well as other nutrients (Royce and Lee, 1980; Alofe et al, 1996; Ekpo and Aluko, 2002; Daodu, 2003). Mushrooms have been reported to be low in cholesterol and offer an especially promising opportunity to discover anti-cancer genes and pathways (Breen, 1999; Bachtel et al 2002; Borchers et al, 2004).

In order to harness these resources from mushrooms, there is need to improve on cultivation and growth. Growing mushrooms on simple substrate alone sometimes cannot provide enough nitrogen required for optimal growth of mushrooms. Supplements may be added to obtain higher yields.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The study was conducted at the Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria, Ibadan, at the plant pathology research laboratory. The following substrate preparations were made: (1) cotton waste (2500g), wheat bran (25g); (2) cotton waste with no wheat bran. The waste materials were then thoroughly mixed with water until adequate moisture content was obtained. After mixing, the substrate was then packed in small nylon bags (400g), tied with rubber bands, and sterilized.

After sterilization, the bags were allowed to cool in the laboratory and each bag was inoculated with 40g spawn (1% total weight). The inoculated substrate bags were placed on the laboratory bench and covered with dark polythene sheet for incubation.

After full ramification, the bags were exposed in the growth room by removing the rubber bands and opening the top of the nylon bags. Watering was adequately done to increase the relative humidity of the environment to enhance sporophore emergence. Complete randomized design was used and data collected were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA). 

          Training students on mushroom packaging. 

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The two treatments supported the growth of Pleurotus florida. Cotton waste mixed with wheat bran produced higher yield (74.35g) than cotton waste alone (51.38g). The incubation period to the emergence of sporophores was shorter for cotton waste mixed with wheat bran (seven weeks) compared to that for the control (eight weeks). The main substrate material alone sometimes cannot provide enough nitrogen required for optimal growth of mushrooms. Additives such as rice or wheat bran provide a nitrogen source (Choi, 2004). Amounts of supplements that should be added varies with the substrate chosen. Oei (2003) suggested a range of 5-10% wheat bran. Choi (2004) also reported that if cotton waste is chosen as the main substrate material for Oyster mushroom cultivation, a nitrogen source such as rice bran should be supplemented. Nitrogen is converted to ammonia nitrogen and Beyer and Wilkinson (2002) found a direct correlation between substrate ammonia content and subsequent growth of mushrooms.

       Cultivated mushrooms.

Cotton waste is the material that is discarded during the processing of harvested cotton seed to produce oil and other materials in the industry. Cotton waste is readily available in Nigeria, especially in the north where the majority of cotton is grown. Wheat bran is the outer part of the wheat grain removed during processing. Addition of this very inexpensive supplement increases the dietary fibre of the produced mushroom. Utilization of agro-industrial wastes makes mushroom cultivation a good fit in sustainable farming (Oei, 2005).

Mushroom cultivation, apart from being a source of food production, can be a means of livelihood and a source of economic empowerment for women in both urban and rural areas, and for small holder farmers.   

REFERENCES

Alofe, V.F., O. Odeyemi, and O.L. Oke.  1996.  Three edible wild mushrooms from Nigeria. Their proximate and mineral composition.  Plant Food for Human Nutrition, 49:63-73.

Beyer, D.M. and V.L. Wilkinson.  2002.  Spawn, spawning and spawn growth. Mushroom Science and Technology. 7p.

Boa, E.  2004.  Wild edible fungi. Non-Wood Forest Products,17.  Food and Agriculture Organization, Rome, 147 p.

Borchers, A.T, C.L. Keen, and M.E. Gershwin.  2004.  Mushrooms, tumors and immunity: An update. Experimental Biology and Medicine, 229(5):393-406.

Breen, W.M.  1999.  Nutritional and medicinal values of exotic mushrooms. IN Shitake Mushrooms. Proc. Nat. Symp., May 3-5 1989, St Paul, Minnesota, p. 87-105.

Chang S.T.  1999.  World production of cultivated edible and medicinal mushrooms in 1997 with emphasis on Lentinus edodes in China.  International Journal of Mushrooms, 1:139-46.

Choi, K.W.  2004.  Shelf cultivation of oyster mushrooms. http:/www.mushworld.com:1508/service/handbook/2004/chapter-7-2.pdf

Daodu, O.O.  2003.  Effect of different lime concentrations on the cultivation of an edible fungus (Pleurotus sajor caju; Oyster mushroom). M.Sc. Thesis, University of Ibadan, Nigeria.

Ekpo, E.N. and A.P. Aluko.  2002.  Cultivation strategies and nutritive values of edible mushrooms (Lentinus tuber-regium) as a component of sustainable livelihood.  Proc. 28th Ann. Conf., Forestry Assoc. of Nigeria.

Oei, P.  2003.  Mushroom Cultivation. Appropriate Technology for Mushroom Growers, 3rd ed. Backhuys Pub., Leiden, Netherlands, 426 p.

Oei, P.  2005.  Small scale mushroom cultivation. Agrodok 40.  CTA Pub., Wageningen, The Netherlands, 86 p.

Philippoussis, A., G. Zervakis, and P. Diamantopoulou. 2001.  Bioconversion of agricultural lignocellulosic wastes through the cultivation of the edible mushrooms Agrocybe aegerita, Volvariella vulvaceae and Pleurotus spp.  World journal of  Microbiology and Biotechnology, 17:191-200.

Dr. Elizabeth N. Ekpo holds a B.Sc. in Microbiology, an M.Sc. in Agricultural Biology with an emphasis in Plant Pathology, and a Ph.D. in Plant Pathology. She is currently the Assistant Director of the Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria in Ibadan, Nigeria. The Institute was established in 1954 to conduct research in all areas of forestry, wildlife, and environmental management, and to educate technicians to work in these fields. The Institute has six outstations and four colleges, as well as its headquarters. Dr. Ekpo’s major professional interests include research on edible mushrooms and plant disease control.