Brewery wastes as an alternative substrate for the production of Ganoderma lucidum

Abstract

Ganoderma lucidum (Fr.) Krast is a basidiomycete of the family Ganodermataceae, whose production is on the increase due to its medicinal attributes. However, most scientific research published in Brazil is related to nutraceuctic and medicinal properties of G. lucidum with scanty reference to culture technology. Analysis of the potentiality of malt bagasse, a residue from the brewery industry, in the culture of G. lucidum is to make viable the use of the material for the production of a type of highly aggregated food (mushrooms). The potential of malt bagasse was tested at different proportions (0, 5, 10, 15 and 20%, dry base, treatments T1, T2, T3, T4 and T5, respectively) with substrates for the culture of Ganoderma lucidum to evaluate the mass of fresh basidium and the substrate´s chemical characteristics. In the case of produced mass, treatments T1, T2, T3 and T4 did not differ statistically, with rates between 40.0 and 47.6 g, above treatment T5, with mean 23 g, differing statistically from the others. Substrate´s chemical characterization revealed pH increase according to use of malt bagasse which may have caused a decrease in productivity in treatment T5. Results show that malt bagasse within the proposed conditions may be used as a supplement up to 15%, with satisfactory productivity of G. lucidum.