The mushroom cultivation industry is increasingly integrating agricultural and agro-industrial by-products as sustainable alternative substrates to mitigate reliance on traditional raw materials (e.g., hardwood sawdust and wheat straw) and address environmental concerns associated with agricultural waste management. Edible and medicinal mushrooms, through their specialized lignocellulolytic enzyme systems (including laccases, manganese peroxidases, and cellulases), possess the unique capability to bioconvert complex lignocellulosic biomass into nutrient-rich protein food sources. This review comprehensively examines the major categories of agricultural by-products—ranging from crop residues (cereal straws, corn cobs, sugarcane bagasse) and processing by-products (cottonseed hulls, beet pulp, soybean meal) to forestry residues—utilizable for commercial mushroom production. We analyze the critical physicochemical factors influencing bioconversion efficiency, including the Carbon-to-Nitrogen (C/N) ratio, substrate moisture, pH, porosity, and lignin-to-cellulose ratios. Strategies for optimizing biological efficiency (BE) and yield are systematically discussed, focusing on physical/chemical pre-treatments, optimal biological supplementation, and substrate formulation blending. Furthermore, recent research trends in Korea such as bottle culture substrate formulation for Pleurotus eryngii and Flammulina velutipes, energy-saving pasteurization techniques, and spent mushroom substrate (SMS) upcycling—are integrated alongside future perspectives on circular bioeconomy.
목차
ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION Classification and Chemical Composition of Agricultural By-Products Major Categories of By-Products Lignocellulosic Composition and Enzymatic Degradation Key Physicochemical Factors Regulating Substrate Efficiency Yield Optimization Strategies and Korean Research Advances Substrate Formulation Blending and Korean Factory-Style Cultivation Metabolic and Physiological Divergence in Mycelial Nutrition: Solid-State vs. Liquid Culture and Nitrogen Utilization Mechanisms Physiological and Metabolic Differences: Liquid Spawn vs. Solid-State Cultivation Mechanistic Impacts of Nitrogen Sources: Organic vs. Inorganic Nitrogen Metabolism Challenges and Circular Economy Integration Technical and Operational Challenges Spent Mushroom Substrate (SMS) Valorization in Korea Conclusion and Future Perspectives ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS REFERENCES
Woo-Sik Jo [ Gyeongbuk Province Agricultural Technology Administration, Division of Agricultural Food and Environmental Research Daegu, 41404, Korea ]
Corresponding Author
Jeung-Woo Ko [ Gyeongbuk Province Agricultural Technology Administration, Division of Agricultural Food and Environmental Research Daegu, 41404, Korea ]
Young-Jin Seo [ Gyeongbuk Province Agricultural Technology Administration, Division of Agricultural Food and Environmental Research Daegu, 41404, Korea ]