PROXIMATE AND CHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF SOME UNDERUTILIZED NIGERIAN WILD MUSHROOMS

Abstract

This investigation aims at determining the nutritional value of twenty-three underutilized wild macrofungi from a biodiversity forest in Southwest Nigeria. The mushroom species collected across the ligneous (woody) and terrestrial (soil) habitats were analysed for proximate (moisture, protein, fibre, lipid, ash and carbohydrate), minerals (potassium, sodium, phosphorus, magnesium, calcium, iron and zinc) and vitamins A and C content following standard analytical procedures. Interestingly, all the mushrooms had high moisture (>80.91%) and those harvested from soil debris in the terrestrial habitat contained significantly high protein content (26.80 - 48.68%). Dietary fibre was in the range of 0.20 and 42.37%; low lipid (0.12 - 9.89%) and ash (1.25 - 14.08%) were also recorded. Furthermore, all the samples contained high carbohydrate except Macrolepiota procera (2.01%). Minerals varied across the habitats and ranged as follows: potassium (268.13 - 8972.00 mg. 100 g^-1), sodium (89.36 - 425.92 mg. 100 g^-1), phosphorus (0.32 - 375.51 mg. 100 g^-1), magnesium (9.39 - 19.32 mg. 100 g^-1) and calcium (7.98 - 37.82 mg. 100 g^-1). Low iron (0.55 - 1.32 mg. 100 g^-1) and zinc (2.21 - 4.98 mg. 100 g^-1) were obtained. While vitamin A ranged between 0.41 and 1.41 mg. 100 g^-1, vitamin C was from 4.68 to 6.93 mg. 100 g^-1. Conclusively, the mushrooms investigated are a good source of nutrients and thus, can be exploited as foods or food supplements.