Iron Bioaccumulation in Lentinus crinitus Mycelia Cultivated in Agroindustrial Byproducts

Abstract

Iron deficiency anemia is a challenge to global public health, and the development of iron-enriched foods are an opportunity to reduce this problem. Lentinus crinitus is a basidiomycete with high metal bioaccumulation capacity that is consumed by Amazonian Indians. This study aimed to evaluate iron bioaccumulation in the mycelial biomass of L. crinitus cultivated in agroindustrial byproducts. First, the fungus grew in a liquid medium with iron addition from 0.116 (control) to 100 mg L−1. The addition of 90 mg L−1 iron to the culture medium resulted in 15.07 ± 1.44 dg kg−1 of iron mycelial bioaccumulation, a 9000-fold increase compared with the control. Then, the fungus grew in agroindustrial byproducts sugarcane (SCM) or soybean (SBM) molasses added with 90 mg L−1 iron and 0.9 mg L−1 manganese, a new element in the assay. The iron concentrations in the mycelial biomass cultivated in SCM or SBM were 20.78 ± 2.28 or 34.71 ± 4.31 dg kg−1, respectively, at 21 cultivation days. The cultivation time and the presence of iron and manganese in the culture media were important variables for iron bioaccumulation in the mycelial biomass. Our study evidenced that agroindustrial byproducts, mainly SCM, can be used to successfully produce mycelial biomass enriched with iron - as an alternative functional food - to add value to the food production chain. Also, the iron-enriched biomass can be an alternative for non-living animal protein supply.