Mushrooms are the most popular cultivated mushrooms in the world. Contrary to old beliefs, they are not nutritionally worthless. They contain a lot of B vitamins, as well as bioactive compounds, incl. lectins and tyrosinase. Scientific research confirms the anticancer, immune, antibacterial and genoprotective properties of mushrooms. It's worth including mushrooms in your daily diet, and most people can eat mushrooms without any problems, even raw.

Mushrooms(Agaricus bisporus, common mushroom) is the most cultivated mushroom in the world. Currently, they are very popular and easily available, but in the 16th century the white variety was considered a rarity and found its way only to the tables of the we althiest. The most famous are: the small white mushroom with very light caps and the brown portobello mushroom, which grows larger, has a much darker color, intense flavor and is fleshier than the traditional variety. White mushrooms are most often bought in stores where they come from a mushroom farm. However, they can grow wild and even be grown at home. Mushrooms are most often used as an ingredient of soups, sauces, stuffing, casseroles, mixtures of vegetables fried in a pan, and more and more often salads. Portobello mushrooms with large, flat, spreading hats are perfect for stuffing with groats, vegetables and meat.

Properties and nutritional values ​​of champignons

Mushrooms, and in particular industrially cultivated mushrooms, have for decades been considered as products not recommended in the diet due to their indigestion and negligible nutritional value. It turns out, however, that mushrooms can be a valuable source of some vitamins and antioxidants.

Mushrooms are low in calories, 90-95% water, 100 g of fresh weight contain about 3 g of protein, 0.3 g of fat and 3 g of carbohydrates. In mushrooms there is fiber in the form of beta-glucans, which have the ability to lower the level of "bad" LDL cholesterol in the blood and normalize the glucose level. They are a very good source of B vitamins (better than most vegetables), especially riboflavin (vitamin B2), niacin (vitamin B3) and pantothenic acid (vitamin B5). They also contain folic acid (vitamin B9) and cobalamin (vitamin B12). Mushrooms provide small amounts of vitamin C and vitaminD. Valuable bioactive compounds in mushrooms are: lectins that act against cancer, antioxidants (catechins, gallic acid, caffeic acid and rutin), tyrosinase - a protein that protects DNA against oxidative damage, ergosterol which inhibits the growth of breast cancer cells, conjugated CLA linoleic acid and polysaccharides with healing properties.

Nutrient content per 100 g of fresh mushrooms

Energy

22 kcal

Water

92.43 g

Protein

3.09 g

Fat

0.34 g

Carbohydrates

3.28 g

Sugars

1.65 g

fiber

1 g

Ash

0.85 g

Tiamina (B1)

0.081 mg (7% of the recommended daily allowance)

Riboflavin (B2)

0.402 mg (34%)

Niacin (B3)

3,607 mg (24%)

Pantothenic acid (B5)

1,497 mg (30%)

Pyridoxine (B6)

0.104 mg (8%)

Folic acid (B9)

17 µg (4%)

Cobalamin (B12)

0.04 µg (2%)

Vitamin C

2.1 mg (3%)

Vitamin D

0.2 µg (1%)

Iron

0.5 mg (4%)

Magnesium

9 mg (3%)

Phosphorus

86 mg (12%)

Potassium

318 mg (7%)

Sodium

3 mg (0%)

Zinc

0.52 mg (5%)

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Can mushrooms be eaten raw?

When it comes to eating mushrooms, the eating community is divided on the strict opinion. Opponents of eating raw mushrooms emphasize that mushrooms are difficult to digest because their cell walls are made of chitin which is not digested in the human digestive tract. Indeed, people with a sensitive stomach and digestive problems should rather eat heat-treated mushrooms, which facilitate their digestion, or use the mushrooms raw only as a side dish. The second argument against eating raw mushrooms is the presence of agaritin, which was suspected of being toxic, mutagenic and carcinogenic. This compound disintegrates at a temperature of 100 ° C, therefore it is recommended to heat mushrooms, for example by frying or boiling. It turns out, however, that agaritin also breaks down as a result of freezing, and also when stored in a refrigerator - there is less of this compound in each day after the mushrooms are harvested. In addition, the results of the studies, which clearly show that agaritin is not mutagenic and carcinogenic, are cited in the academic bulletin "Oxford Journals". In conclusion, mushrooms eaten raw are not harmful to he alth and do not contribute to cancer. However, people who have digestive problems should give up eating them in order to avoid unpleasant ailments from the digestive tract.

He alth properties of mushrooms

Mushroom lectins and anti-cancer activity

The effect of mushroom lectins is very well documented. They show a strong antiproliferative activity for various types of human cancer cells and do not cause any side effects. Numerous studies indicate that mushroom lectins may be an important ingredient in the treatment of many cancers.

Mushroom consumption and breast cancer risk

The study published in 2009 in the "International Journal of Cancer" was conducted on a group of 1009 women with breast cancer and 1009 he althy women. It showed that women who ate a minimum of 10 g of fresh mushrooms a day had a 36% lower risk of developing breast cancer than women who did not eat them at all, and women who ate a minimum of 4 g of dried mushrooms a day - by 53%. A study in Korean women found a strong correlation between eating mushrooms and a reduction in the risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women. Prevention of breast cancer is related to the inhibition of the aromatase enzyme by bioactive substances in mushrooms. Aromatase is an enzyme that converts androgens to estrogens, and the increased expression of aromatase inbreast tissue is considered a risk factor for their cancer. Mushroom extract is one of the most effective vegetable extracts in inhibiting the activity of this enzyme.

Antibacterial and antifungal activity

Mushroom extracts have shown the ability to inhibit the growth of, among others, Candida yeasts and numerous bacteria, e.g. Escherichia coli, Salmonella, Schigella, Listeria. Each time, their activity was greater than that of the tetracycline used as a control compound.

Effect of mushrooms on the immune system

Mushrooms accelerate the maturation of dendritic cells from the bone marrow that participate in the immune response to an antigen, such as infection, and activate T cells. Thanks to this, the immune system works more effectively.

Protection of genetic material

Mushrooms contain the protein tyrosinase resistant to elevated temperature, which shows antioxidant activity and protects the genetic material against damage caused by oxidizing compounds.

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Find out moreImportant

It is worth remembering that mushrooms are very unstable and perish easily. Store them in a refrigerator at a temperature of up to 4ºC. White mushrooms stay in good condition for about 4 days, and brown ones - 6 days. It is better not to store them in plastic and foil packages, as this promotes the growth of mold. After purchase, it is worth putting the mushrooms into a paper bag and washing them only immediately before use. Like other mushrooms, mushrooms can be dried and frozen without any problems.

Growing mushrooms

In Europe, mushroom cultivation began in France in the 16th century. Currently, mushrooms in Poland constitute over 90% of all cultivated mushrooms. They are produced on a very large scale (approx. 280 thousand tons per year).

Poland is one of the largest mushroom producers in Europe and the world.

The majority of mushrooms is exported, and the Polish ones constitute as much as 35% of all imported mushrooms of this species in the world. Mushroom farms are concentrated mainly in the Mazowieckie and Wielkopolskie voivodships. Mushrooms are grown in air-conditioned halls, on a special substrate, withmaintaining the conditions of air temperature, humidity and carbon dioxide concentration. The entire production cycle lasts 6 weeks, mushrooms in Poland are harvested by hand, usually on weekends, and they reach the stores no later than 2 days after harvesting. In other European Union countries, mushrooms are most often harvested by machine, which forces them to be sold in the form of cutlets in jars or cans, and not as a fresh product. The method of production and harvesting guarantees the high quality of Polish mushrooms.

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Growing mushrooms at home

Mushrooms can be grown at home all year round using ready-made kits. They contain a substrate of horse manure or straw and chicken manure already inoculated with mycelium. For cultivation, plastic bags or wooden and plastic boxes are used, in which the substrate is placed. The growing temperature of 12-20ºC and not too much light are important, so the best place to grow mushrooms at home is a basement, attic or garage. You can also set up a farm in the garden, but only in a very shaded place and in the period from April to July. The first harvest can be done after about 3-4 weeks, when the cover under the mushroom cap begins to peel off.

Sources: 1. Dhamodharan G. et al., A Novel Medicinal Characterization of Agaricus Bisporus (White Button Mushroom), Pharmacologyonline, 2010, 2, 456-4632. Kalbarczyk J. et al., Cultivated higher mushrooms as a valuable component of the diet and a source of biologically active substances, Herba Polonica, 2009, 55 (4), 224-2323. Abah S.E. et al., Antimicrobial and Antioxidant Potentials of Agaricus bisporus, Advances in Biological Research, 2010, 4 (5), 277-2824. Papaparaskeva C. et al., Agaritine does not mediate the mutagenicity of the edible mushroom Agaricus bisporus, Mutagenesis, 1991, 6 (3), 213-2175. USDA Nutrient Database, Mushrooms, white, raw, https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/3009?fgcd=&manu=&lfacet=&format=Full&count=&max=50&offset=&sort=default&order=asc&qlookup=11260 & ds=& qt=& qp=& qa=& qn=& q=& ing=6. Kowalczyk M., Is it profitable to grow mushrooms ?, https://www.agrofakt.pl/oplaca-sie-hodowac-pieczarki/7. Szarek S. et al., Economic conditions of mushroom production in Poland, Problems of Agricultural Economics, 2011, 3, 178-1878. http://poradnikogrodniczy.pl/domowa-uprawa-pieczarki.php

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