Food production potential of Favolus brasiliensis (Basidiomycota: Polyporaceae), an indigenous food

Abstract

The Amazon region has shown commercial potential for native mushroom species, such as mushrooms produced by the Yanomami people, who already sell more than 10 Amazon species. Among the species collected and consumed by the Yanomami people is Favolus brasiliensis (Fr.) Fr. (Basidiomycota: Polyporaceae), which occurs naturally in tropical areas of Central and South America. Thus, the objective of this work is to carry out the bromatological characterization of F. brasiliensis, contributing to a better understanding of the nutritional and food potential, as well as registering the natural occurrence of the species in the Cerrado biome and in the state of Goiás. The F. brasiliensis mushrooms collected in the present study showed an average of 7.4% humidity, 27% crude protein, 1.5% ether extract, 17% crude fiber, and 1.7% mineral matter. Compared with other species of edible mushrooms, both wild and cultivated, the moisture content of F. brasiliensis (93.60%) is low for species of the genus Pleurotus. For example, the humidity varies from 87% to more than 90%, similar to that found in Lentinus crinitus, another mushroom native to Brazil and also consumed by the Yanomami people. Thus, F. brasiliensis has the potential to be used in human foods.