ABSTRACT
In the field of microbiology, the higher fungi, specifically the mushrooms, are considered one of the world’s greatest natural resources for being able to transform nutritionally valueless substances into high protein food. The abundance, therefore, of agricultural waste materials, such as straw, cotton waste, sawdust, com cobs and stalks, in countries considered inadequate in nutrition and food, offers great potential if mushroom production can be used to combat starvation and malnutrition. Mushrooms grow on these materials which are usually discarded, burned or neglected in the very countries where people hunger for good food (Quimio, 1995; Durrant, 2005). It is now common knowledge that this group of microorganisms can be visualized as an important source of protein (Braaksma and Schaap, 1996) and can contribute the maximum food value to human diet not only in the developing, but in the developed countries as well.
