ABSTRACT
Wild mushroom's cultivation has gained significant attention worldwide because of their high nutritional value as they are rich source of protein and do contain various macro and minor nutrient for balanced diet. Besides this mushrooms are also recognized as nutraceutical foods, and draw considerable attention because of their organoleptic merit, medicinal properties, and economic significance. As mushrooms are saprophytic fungi, their presence is cosmopolitan and easily thrive on lignocellulosic biomass. Wild mushrooms draw nutrients for their growth via degrading lignocellulosic components using lignocellulolytic enzymes produced by them. Raw lignocellulosic biomass such as cereal straw, bagasse, sawdust is not capable of providing all the nutrient necessary throughout the growth period of the wild mushroom however addition of the agro-industrial residue such as bran with raw lignocellulosic biomass can not only increased the yield and quality but efficient utilized the raw lignocellulosic biomass. That's why cultivation of wild mushroom using lignocellulosic biomass as substrate has dual benefit as wild mushroom cultivation help in solving lignocellulosic biomass-based waste management and lignocellulosic biomass enhanced the nutritional profile of the wild mushroom. This chapter discusses the nutritional profile of various wild mushroom species such as Pleurotus spp., Flammulina spp.,Agaricus spp.,Lentinus spp., etc. Further, the source, availability and composition of the different lignocellulosic biomass and their potential for wild mushroom cultivation has been explored in details. The qualitative variation among the different lignocellulosic and associated nutritional aspect of growing wild mushroom are core of this chapter. This chapter also highlighted the importance of the addition of agro-industrial based residue in raw and modified form in the enhancement of the yield and nutritional profile of wild mushroom.
