“Mushrooms” are the common name used for referring to the reproductive form deriving from Basidiomycota and Ascomycota that we commonly buy daily at the supermarket, but few people know their important role as possible key actors in “Circular Economy” taking advantage of their natural ecological role as “natural recyclers”. One study from 2019 estimated an approximately 2 billion tons of agricultural wastes (plus 0.2 billion m3 of forestry wastes) are yearly produced worldwide showing, also, an increasing trend. Mushrooms can be used to recover and reutilize lignocellulosic wastes for producing food, natural alternative proteins, nutraceuticals and medical products, building-materials reducing, also, CO2 emissions. In this article current possible applications for mushrooms and future perspectives will be displayed.
Exploring the role of mushrooms in circular economy: state of art and future perspectives
Nicola Favia
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2026-01-01
Abstract
“Mushrooms” are the common name used for referring to the reproductive form deriving from Basidiomycota and Ascomycota that we commonly buy daily at the supermarket, but few people know their important role as possible key actors in “Circular Economy” taking advantage of their natural ecological role as “natural recyclers”. One study from 2019 estimated an approximately 2 billion tons of agricultural wastes (plus 0.2 billion m3 of forestry wastes) are yearly produced worldwide showing, also, an increasing trend. Mushrooms can be used to recover and reutilize lignocellulosic wastes for producing food, natural alternative proteins, nutraceuticals and medical products, building-materials reducing, also, CO2 emissions. In this article current possible applications for mushrooms and future perspectives will be displayed.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
