Edible mushroom production in Ecuador: opportunities for biotechnological use of agricultural byproducts

Abstract

Recent studies estimate that there are between 1.5 and 5.1 million fungi species on Earth, and 150.000 of them have been taxonomically classified. Approximately 2.000 are suitable for food and medicinal applications, but only 35 are cultivated commercially. In Ecuador, 100.000 species are available, although only 5.000 have been taxonomically characterized. Mycoculture is the production of fungi under controlled conditions. Edible mushrooms are saprophytes, and they grow on decomposing organic substrates, mainly on lignocellulosic agricultural by-products such as sawdust, straw, bran and bagasse. Mushroom cultivation turns waste into resource, reducing pollution. Ecuador is an agriculture-based economy, and many lignocellulosic wastes are produced from permanent crops such as cocoa, African palm, sugar cane and coconut. Ecuador's inhabitants are looking for healthy and environmentally friendly products, leading to an increase in demand for locally produced mushrooms, which show high nutritional values and medicinal properties. At the global level, current studies show that edible mushroom production moves around 42 billion dollars annually, projected to 62 billion by 2023. China is the leading producer, with more than 7 million tons per year reported in 2016, followed by the United States, Italy, France and Spain. The increasing rate of edible mushroom global production stands at about 11%. Keywords: fungi; waste; transformation; biotechnology; mycoprotein