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MUSHROOM (VEGAN’S BEST MEAT)

I am Obiri Amoako Justice from Ghana. Due to the presence of many ethnic groups in my country, we have a vast number of local foods and medicines at our disposure. One that is not spoken of much is the mushroom. Since it is a family business, I would like to take this opportunity of the Month Event “Let’s Protect Our Health Through Biodiversity” to share a thing or two about it.

Mushroom or as I personally like to call it “Vegan’s Best Meat” is a very easy to cultivate fungi here in Ghana. There are over 200 genera of macrofungi which contain species of use to humans. One of these is the common mushroom (Agaricus) which is mainly cultivated here in Ghana. It is tagged common because it dominates commercial markets. It preserves the environment or in other words is environmentally safe to cultivate. It requires no space, therefore it can be cultivated even in a room. No spacious environment is needed for its cultivation, it therefore preserves land. It is a very delicious and nutritious fungi that I would advise everybody to consume and possibly cultivate. Its cultivation comes with a wide scope of importance and beneath are a few.

Importance of mushroom cultivation

·         It helps reduce vulnerability to poverty and strengthens livelihood because it yields very fast and hence becomes a source of food and income.

·         Small scale growing does not include any significant capital investment, capital is therefore preserved.

·         Mushroom substrate can be prepared from any clean agricultural waste material hence, it preserves the environment through its cultivation.

·         Mushroom cultivation provides opportunities for improving the sustainability of small farming systems through the recycling of organic matter which can be used to grow the substrate and then returned to the land as fertilizer.

·         It has a nutritional value that is very essential to the growth of the human body.

o   Fresh mushrooms have high water content

o   On a nutritional index, mushrooms rank higher than spinach, milk, beans, groundnuts, cabbage, cucumbers, maize, turnips, potatoes, tomatoes and carrots.

o   Mushrooms are a good source of vitamin B, C, and D.

o   Mushrooms are a good source of minerals such as potassium, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, iron and copper.

o   They provide carbohydrates but are low in fat and fibre.

o   Mushrooms contain no starch.

o   Mushrooms are an excellent source of protein usually between 19 and 35 percent.

o   Mushrooms contain polysaccharides which are known to boost the immune system.

·         Mushrooms add flavour to bland staple foods and are a valuable food in their own right.

·         Mushrooms have a medicinal value in the world of medicine.    

o   Medicinal fungi (mushroom) are used in traditional Chinese medicine.

o   An estimated six percent of edible mushrooms are known to have medicinal properties and can be found in health tonics, tinctures, teas, soups and herbal formulas.

o   Some bioactive compounds are prepared from mushrooms.

o   Shiitake (a bioactive compound from mushroom) are said to have antitumor and antiviral properties and remove serum cholesterol from the blood stream.

o   Mushrooms represent a vast source of yet undiscovered potent pharmaceutical products and their biochemistry would merit further investigation.  

Now let us take a step further to learn about how mushroom is cultivated here in Ghana. Since its cultivation is easy, cultivating it on a larger scale is key and an important source of income.

The cultivation comes in six main stages namely;

1.      Preparing the substrate

2.      Bagging the substrate

3.      Sterilising the bags

4.      Inoculating the bags

5.      Growing the mushroom

6.      Harvesting the mushroom

Preparing the substrate
Mushrooms are grown from a growth material called 'substrate'. To create the substrate, cassava or yam peels are dried and then milled. Water, lime and rice bran, are added, and the substrate is mixed and heaped into a pile on the ground. It is then left to ferment for 28 days. The compost needs to be turned every 4 days for proper aeration and uniform composting.

Bagging the substrate
Water is added (distributed evenly) to the nutrient rich substrate to the required saturation of 65-70% thus providing everything the mushroom mycelia will need to grow. The substrate is then put into high density polypropylene bags, compressed down and tied with elastic at the top. Cotton is put over the hole to keep the moisture in. The hole will serve as a point of entry for introducing the mushroom spawn.

Sterilising the bags
The bags are placed on a rack in an oil drum with water at the base of the rack. The drum is then heated over a fire. Once steam starts emitting from the tank, it is timed for 2.5-3 hours. The bags are then allowed to cool and then taken to the shaded inoculation room.

Inoculating the bags
The substrate is then ready to receive the mushroom spawns. These are poured into the neck of the substrate bag, and the cotton is replaced on top. The bags are then sent into the incubation room and they remain there until full colonisation of the substrate. The temperature in the room should be 28-30°C max.

Growing the mushroom
After 4-5 weeks in the incubation room the substrate bag turns a white-ish colour and it is ready to open. In contact with the air, the mushroom mycelium begin to grow mushrooms. It will take 24-36 hours for the mushrooms to reach the mature stage when you can then harvest them.

Harvesting the mushroom
Once the mushrooms are fully matured, they are then detached from the substrate and are ready for eating, drying or for sale.

Mushrooms grown from cassava peel substrate have been found, through the Gratitude project which took place here in Ghana, to have high nutritional value. They are rich in protein, carbohydrates, minerals and vitamins, and low in fat.

At the Food Research Institute here in Ghana, staff at the Mushroom Unit are looking at different substrate formulations with sawdust to ensure high yields of mushroom, then finding ways to upscale or optimise the growth conditions. They will then disseminate this information to smallholder farmers.

Thinking growing some mushrooms already? It is as easy as it comes, think of its side effect or the impact it would have on your health and that of the environment. As a vegan myself, I cannot think of any meat better than mushrooms and the vast dishes that it comes with!

Thank you.

Image Credit to recipepes.com and yenghana.com