Nutritional composition and hypocholesterolemic effect of Mushroom
Mushroom cultivation has been started recently in Bangladesh.
People in Bangladesh are still not very aware of the nutritional
and medicinal importance of mushrooms. In this study, the
nutritional values of two species of mushrooms (Pleurotus
sajor-caju and P. florida) have been determined. These mushrooms
are rich in proteins and fibers, and contain a lower amount of
lipid. They are also rich in mineral contents. The feeding of
hypercholesterolemic rats with 5% powder of fruiting bodies of P.
sajor-caju and P. florida reduced the plasma total cholesterol,
triglyceride, LDL/HDL ratio level significantly. These properties
may be due to several mechanisms, one of which is the increased
cholesterol excretion through feces by mushroom feeding. Dietary
mushroom P. florida also reduced lipid peroxidation in
hypercholesterolemic rats, this data suggests that this mushroom
might be an important antioxidant. This study revealed that P.
sajor-caju and P. florida mushrooms are nutritionally valuable food
items with high levels of protein and fiber. And mushrooms might be
good nutrition source for heart patients and also for diabetic and
cancer patients.
Md. Asaduzzaman Khan is Bangladeshi by birth. He has completed his B.Sc. (2004) and M.S. (2005) in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Jahangirnagar University, Bangladesh. Currently he is enrolling doctoral research in Biochemistry department of Central South University, China
