Nutritional and mineral composition of four wild edible mushrooms from Jammu and Kashmir, India

Wild edible mushrooms serve as a garnish that can be taken as routine health food or as functional food. They are enriched with myriad nutrients and bioactive compounds that can be developed into food supplements, hence conferring anti-diabetic, cardiovascular and immune-modulating properties. In the present investigation, four wild edible mushroom species viz., Apioperdon pyriforme, Helvella elastica, Morchella conica and Rhizopogon luteolus collected from different locations of Jammu and Kashmir were examined for their nutritional composition. Among these, Morchella conica revealed maximum protein (24.5 g/100 g) and crude fibre (4.8%). While the dried sporocarps of Rhizopogon luteolus possessed maximum total phenolic content (12.30 mg/g), Other components including total ascorbic acid content (1.71 mg/g) and total flavonoid content (0.78 mg/g) were present in maximum proportion in fruit bodies of Rhizopogon luteolus and Helvella elastica, respectively. Furthermore, considering the fact that wild mushrooms have good bioaccumulation potential, these wild edible mushrooms were also assessed for their mineral contents such as Cu, Fe, Zn and Mg. Amongst these, Fe was found present in higher concentration ranging from 165.5–547 ppm followed by Zn (22.2–84 ppm) and Mg (22.4–55.5 ppm). Concentration of copper was found to be lowest in the investigated wild edible mushrooms (23.1–44.5 ppm). However, no copper was detected in Rhizopogon luteolus. The present study demonstrates that the investigated mushrooms are rich in nutrients and essential minerals specifying that they may be further used as functional elements in the composition of innovative food products. © 2020, Indian Phytopathological Society.