Produção de cogumelos comestíveis em substrato enriquecido com basalto

Abstract

The production of mushrooms, especially shimeji (Pleurotus ostreatus), is gaining global relevance due to the demand for healthy and nutritious foods. This study focused on enriching the cultivation substrate with basalt rock powder, exploring a low-cost alternative to promote mushroom growth and quality. The cultivation mushrooms were purchased online from Cogushi store, in boxes already containing sterilized substrate inoculated with Pleurotus ostreatus mycelium. The study involved two treatments: without addition of basalt powder and with basalt powder added to the substrate. Each treatment was applied to three cultivation boxes. After harvesting the mushrooms, ash and protein analyses were performed. In the ash analysis, samples treated with basalt rock powder showed an average of 2.50% ash content, whereas control samples averaged 1.75%. Regarding nitrogen content, an indicator of crude protein, treated samples averaged 4.25% nitrogen, corresponding to approximately 18.6% protein, while control samples had 3.42% nitrogen and 14.97% protein. These results suggest that substrate enriched with basalt rock powder significantly increased protein and ash content in shimeji mushrooms, making them a richer source of these essential nutrients. This highlights the potential of basalt powder as an effective additive in mushroom cultivation, offering a sustainable and economically viable approach to enhance the nutritional quality of these foods. Additionally, the cultivation methodology proved efficient, with mushrooms ready for harvest just three days after the start of cultivation. This underscores the practical viability of this production method, which can be implemented by farmers and producers interested in cultivating high-quality mushrooms. In summary, this study contributes to the knowledge of shimeji mushroom cultivation, demonstrating the potential of basalt powder as an additive to improve the nutritional quality of these foods. These findings may have important implications for the agricultural industry, providing a promising strategy to increase mushroom production sustainably and economically.