15 Interesting Facts About Mushrooms
Edible fungi / Mushrooms
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- Mushrooms are not vegetables.
- Mushrooms are fruiting bodies of several fungi species.
- Almost 12,000 species of fungi can be characterized as mushrooms on the planet.
- 200 species of them are edible (for human consumption)
- Some mushrooms contain toxic substances that can turn lethal.
- Mushrooms can be used as food (rich in protein), for medicine, textile production, packaging-building materials, biofuels, and for purifying wastewater.
- Nowadays, mushrooms are cultivated almost everywhere in the world.
- They do not need light to grow.
- Some species can double in size within 24 hours.
- Roman emperors had food tasters to ensure whether a mushroom was safe or not.
- China is the leading mushroom-producing country.
- The most widely consumed and cultivated mushrooms belong to the Agaricus bisporus species.
- Pleurotus or Oyster mushrooms are the second most popular and, together with straw mushrooms, are the easiest to be cultivated.
- Truffles are among the most expensive delicacies in the world.
- Mushroom production skyrocketed after 1997. The mushroom market size continues to grow with an accelerated rhythm, reaching 50.3 billion dollars (51 billion euros) in 2021.
Further reading
15 Interesting Facts About Mushrooms
Mushrooms: Information, Nutritional Value and Health Benefits
How to Easily Grow Mushrooms at Home
How to Start a Mushroom Farm for Profit
Mushroom Biological Cycle and Growing Requirements
Where can I grow Mushrooms – Mushroom facilities & equipment
Growing Media/ Substrates for Mushroom Cultivation
How to Produce Composted Substrate for Mushroom Cultivation
Mushroom Harvest, Yields, and Post-Harvest Handling
References
- https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/food-features/mushrooms/
- https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00253-004-1569-7
- https://digital.lib.uidaho.edu/utils/getfile/collection/ui_ep/id/31256.pdf?_ga=2.112564876.929777657.1662553863-1080700454.1662553863
- https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/mushroom-market
- https://books.google.gr/
- https://southafrica.co.za/types-mushrooms.html
Royse, D. J., Baars, J., & Tan, Q. (2017). Current overview of mushroom production in the world. Edible and medicinal mushrooms: technology and applications, 5-13.
