Agaricus blazei: 'The Almond Portobello' - Cultivation & Commercialisation

摘要

The following feature is reproduced here with the kind permission of the American Mushroom Institute publication, Mushroom News. The article first appeared in the February 2006 (Volume 54, Number 2) edition of Mushroom News. Agaricus blazei is a brownpileus (cap) mushroom (Fig. 1 and 2). Lamellae (gills) are white when immature, changing to pink, brown and black when spores mature. The texture is slightly tougher than A. bis-porus and Portobello but soft compared to Lentinula edodes. When fresh, A.blazei has a smell like almond and a characteristic persistent taste. Once dried, the smell and taste become stronger. China and Brazil are the major producers of A. blazei. However, it is now cultivated to some extent in the United States and some European countries. The cultivation techniques used for A. blazei production are usually adaptations from the A.bisporus techniques. But still, optimum compost for A. blazei remains uncertain.