Mushrooms bio-residues valorisation: Optimisation of ergosterol extraction using response surface methodology

Abstract

The bio-residues of Pleurotus ostreatus, Agrocybe cylindracea, and Pleurotus eryingii were studied as sustainable sources of ergosterol. Its extraction was performed by a heat-assisted extraction technique and optimised using response surface methodology. The responses were: extraction yield of the residual material (R) from the mushroom bio-residues dried weight (%), the quantification of ergosterol in the M dw (mg E/100g M dw), and in the R (mg E/g R). The most feasible responses for industrial transference were obtained for P. ostreatus bio-residues, at the optimal conditions of 65.6min at 30°C and 43.7min at 90°C producing 43.72mg E/g R and 290.90mg E/100g M dw, respectively. The model satisfactorily fitted the experimental data for all responses, thus implying a good agreement between the experimental values and those predicted by the model. The study proposes a simple and efficient method to produce an ergosterol rich extract from mushroom bio-residues.