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Hericium erinaceum (Bull.: Fr.) Pers. is an edible fungus of great significance in medicine. It is rarely found in Europe, in contrast, it is common in Japan and North America. Its fruitbodies have been well-known for hundreds of years in traditional Chinese medicine and cuisine. A cradle of H. erinaceum cultivation is Asia. In Eastern Europe is rare in natural habitats, but can be successfully cultivated. Both fruitbodies and mycelia are rich in active, health promoting substances. Tests of substances extracted from this mushroom carried out on animals and in vitro have given good results. They can be used in the treatment of cancer, hepatic disorders, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, wound healing. They improve cognitive abilities, support the nervous and immune systems. Promising results have been reported in clinical trials and case reports about the human treatment (e.g., recovery from schizophrenia, an improvement of the quality of sleep, alleviation of the menopause symptoms). The subject of this paper is to summarize information about the development of mycelium, the best conditions for cultivation of fruitbodies, bioactive substances and their use in medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is an ongoing interest in the production of mushrooms as food, and with their consumption on the rise, there is a need to establish different safety measures. In the present study, six mushroom species (Agrocybe cylindracea, Clitocybe maxima, Flammulina velutipes, Ganoderma lucidum, Lentinula edodes and Pleurotus eryngii) were cultivated on two commonly used substrates (A—based on alder and beech sawdust; B—based on oak sawdust and flax shives). The aims were to determine their growth and the accumulation of 70 elements in their fruiting bodies, 33 of which were detected in all analysed samples and were used for statistical evaluation. Cultivation of C. maxima, G. lucidum and L. edodes resulted in higher yield and mineral content when substrate A was used, cultivation of A. cylindracea and F. velutipes yielded better results on substrate B, P. eryngii cultivation outcomes were similar for both substrates. L. edodes was found to have a high affinity to accumulate Cd, C. maxima can bioconcentrate Al and Ni, Ganoderma lucidum—Pb, while F. velutipes—Hg. The study indicated that the chemical composition of substrates could affect both the yield and the level of various toxic and nutritional elements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are about 40 species in the Pleurotus genus, including those with high economic significance, i.e. P. ostreatus and P. pulmonarius. The fruiting bodies of oyster mushrooms are of high nutritional and healthpromoting value. In addition, many species belonging to the Pleurotus genus have been used as sources of substances with documented medicinal properties, such as high-molecular weight bioactive compounds (polysaccharides, peptides and proteins) and low-molecular weight compounds (terpenoids, fatty acid esters and polyphenols). The bioactive substances contained in the mycelium and fruiting bodies of Pleurotus species exhibit immunostimulatory, anti-neoplastic, anti-diabetic, anti-atherosclerotic, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and anti-oxidative properties. Their multidirectional positive influence on the human organism is the result of interaction of bioactive substances. Extracts from individual Pleurotus species can be used for the production of dietary supplements increasing the organism's immunity. They are also used for the production of cosmetics. They can be added to functional foods as probiotics, or used as natural preservatives or ingredients of special foodstuffs for patients with specific diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

White rot fungi (WRF) are known to have the ability to degrade organic pollutants with a structure similar to lignin. Because of this, the degradation of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) congeners no. 28, 52, 101, 138, 153 and 180 by substrate before fruiting (substrate) and/or after fruiting (SMS) from cultivated mushrooms Pleurotus ostreatus, Lentinula edodes and Agaricus bisporus was examined. The experiment was carried out in four replications for each treatment using a mixture of substrate/SMS and sandy soil with PCBs at a concentration of each congener at 50 and 100 μg kg−1 soil DW. The results indicate that degradation was dependent on substrate/SMS addition, the concentration of PCBs and time of incubation. The efficiency of PCB degradation was generally reduced with the number of chlorine atoms in the structure of congeners: 28, 52, 101, 138, 153 or 180. In all combinations, degradation increased with incubation time. Degradation by SMS was lower in comparison to degradation by a substrate of the same mushroom. The degree of degradation of a single PCB after 12 weeks of incubation for A. bisporus ranged from 31.32 ± 1.52 to 83.91 ± 1.07%, while for P. ostreatus it was between 37.88 ± 2.54 and 78.29 ± 1.41%; for L. edodes it ranged from 17.38 ± 1.06 to 75.30 ± 1.46%. The best average degradation was confirmed for 20% SMS of A. bisporus at 50 μg kg−1 PCB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]