Nutritional composition of volvariella volvacea grow using different cultivation techniques and substrate utilization / Nur Fariha Amir and Aslizah Mohd-Aris

Volvariella volvacea is a nutritious edible mushroom that is found and cultivated mainly in Southeast Asian countries. The nutritional composition and energy value of V. volvacea are analyzed using proximate analysis. The proximate analysis is useful for assessing its potential health benefits and nutritional value. However, different cultivation methods and substrates may produce different proximate compositions. The cultivation method may influence several factors, such as the substrate, the environmental conditions, the duration of cultivation, and the presence of any additives or fertilizers. This study aims to compare the proximate analysis of V. volvacea grown under different cultivation techniques with varying substrate utilization. The data were compared to findings from this study and the previous report that demonstrated a comparable parameter. Proximate analysis for this study was conducted to determine the moisture, carbohydrate, protein, fat, fiber, and ash content using indoor cultivation techniques and POEFB fiber pellet as a substrate. Results showed the mushrooms produced in this study have a moisture (86%), carbohydrate (8.9%), protein (4.0%), crude fat (0.1%), fiber (0.3%), and ash content (1.0%). Data comparisons with previous studies revealed that indoor cultivation yielded a lower protein content compared to the wild cultivation method. Interestingly, V. volvacea grown on POEFB fiber produced a high carbohydrate content compared to the other substrates (paddy straw, cotton waste, and banana leaves). It was also found that other components such as moisture, protein, fat, and ash showed a lower percentage when cultivated using a substrate other than POEFB. In conclusion, it was suggested that different cultivation methods and substrate utilization result in variations in proximate analysis. This could be due to differences in the substrate's nutrient availability and composition. In the future, research on the productivity of V. volvacea grown under different growth conditions is strongly recommended.