Relative Anti-Nutritional Content and in Vitro Protein Digestibility of Pleurotus florida upon Cultivation on Variable Straw Substrates

Reports on the relative biochemical constituents of fruit body of P. florido indicated compositional variations among these mushrooms when cultivated on variable straw substrates viz, paddy, wheat, soybean and a mixture of them. Protein content ranged from 20 to 24 per cent with varying concentration of all the essential amino acids and minerals. This reflected them to be an excellent source of food protein and may be advocated for providing a dietary supplement to meet out the rampant problem of protein calorie malnutrition among poor masses in developing countries like India.