The genus Pleurotus (Fr.) P. Kumm. includes economically important mushrooms, cultivated around the world, widely used in human nutrition and recognized as medicinal mushrooms. Within this genus, the P. eryngii species-complex is undoubtedly worth mentioning. It is now known to be a complex of different, closely related varieties belonging to P. eryngii, with different ecological and morphological characters. The P. eryngii species complex includes saprotrophs or facultative biotrophs which grows in association with plants of the Apiaceae family [1]. Among the members of the P. eryngii species-complex, our attention focused on P. eryngii var. thapsiae Venturella, Zervakis & Saitta, whose basidiomes grow in association with Thapsia garganica L. This mushroom has been reported so far only in Sicily (Italy), where it has a rather limited geographical distribution, at altitude ranging from 0 to 1500 m [2]. Cultivation was carried out to assess its productive efficiency and qualitative properties, in the perspective of a potential large-scale cultivation of wild mushroom species and consequent enhancement of some territories. The cultivation was carried out on two different substrates, one based on wheat straw and another consisting of a mix of wheat straw and Aegilops geniculata Roth., a wheat weed. P. eryngii var. thapsiae grew on both substrates, exhibiting rather good production performance. Besides, the collected basidiomes were subjected to drying, then reduced to powder and a chemical analysis was then performed on this powder. One share of the mushroom powder was used to obtain aqueous extracts using two different techniques, conventional solvent and ultrasound-assisted extraction, in order to evaluate and compare their activity against ATCC Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis), and Gram-negative (Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli and, Pseudomonas aeruginosa) strains. The best activity was obtained against S. aureus, with a reduction of about 60% of biofilm biomass, by means of both ultrasonic extracts. Evaluations of clinical strains are in progress together with the potential application of P. eryngii var. thapsiae for large-scale cultivation, aimed at the marketing of a local, quality product with high nutritional and organoleptic properties.
PRELIMINARY RESULTS ON THE CULTIVATION AND THE CLINICAL USE AGAINST HUMAN PATHOGENS OF PLEUROTUS ERYNGII VAR. THAPSIAE, A CULINARY-MEDICINAL MUSHROOM FROM SICILY
Gargano, MLMembro del Collaboration Group
;Pardi, RMembro del Collaboration Group
;Colasuonno, PMembro del Collaboration Group
2022-01-01
Abstract
The genus Pleurotus (Fr.) P. Kumm. includes economically important mushrooms, cultivated around the world, widely used in human nutrition and recognized as medicinal mushrooms. Within this genus, the P. eryngii species-complex is undoubtedly worth mentioning. It is now known to be a complex of different, closely related varieties belonging to P. eryngii, with different ecological and morphological characters. The P. eryngii species complex includes saprotrophs or facultative biotrophs which grows in association with plants of the Apiaceae family [1]. Among the members of the P. eryngii species-complex, our attention focused on P. eryngii var. thapsiae Venturella, Zervakis & Saitta, whose basidiomes grow in association with Thapsia garganica L. This mushroom has been reported so far only in Sicily (Italy), where it has a rather limited geographical distribution, at altitude ranging from 0 to 1500 m [2]. Cultivation was carried out to assess its productive efficiency and qualitative properties, in the perspective of a potential large-scale cultivation of wild mushroom species and consequent enhancement of some territories. The cultivation was carried out on two different substrates, one based on wheat straw and another consisting of a mix of wheat straw and Aegilops geniculata Roth., a wheat weed. P. eryngii var. thapsiae grew on both substrates, exhibiting rather good production performance. Besides, the collected basidiomes were subjected to drying, then reduced to powder and a chemical analysis was then performed on this powder. One share of the mushroom powder was used to obtain aqueous extracts using two different techniques, conventional solvent and ultrasound-assisted extraction, in order to evaluate and compare their activity against ATCC Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis), and Gram-negative (Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli and, Pseudomonas aeruginosa) strains. The best activity was obtained against S. aureus, with a reduction of about 60% of biofilm biomass, by means of both ultrasonic extracts. Evaluations of clinical strains are in progress together with the potential application of P. eryngii var. thapsiae for large-scale cultivation, aimed at the marketing of a local, quality product with high nutritional and organoleptic properties.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
