Cultivation of a Wild Strain of Wood Ear Auricularia cornea from Brazil

Auricularia cornea has become one of the most important cultivated mushrooms worldwide. Although not remarkably flavorful, Auricularia species are very versatile and rehydrate easily after drying, adding a unique and pleasing texture to the dishes. In this study, we collected, identified, and domesticated a wild strain of A. cornea from the Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest. The wild strain was evaluated for mycelial growth at different temperatures and substrates, biological efficiency, and nutritional composition. The temperature that best favored the A. cornea mycelium growth was 30 °C, and the substrate was sterile Eucalyptus sawdust. The highest biological efficiency value obtained was 106.90 ± 13.28%. Nutritional analysis showed that the produced wood ears contained 71.02% carbohydrates, 19.63% crude fiber, 11.59% crude protein, 10.19% crude fat, and 4.24% ash on dry matter basis. For the mineral content profile, the elements K and P were the most abundant. This is the first report on cultivation of a wild strain of A. cornea from Brazil.