Enhancement of Yield, Bioactive Compounds, and Nutritional and Antioxidant Properties of Shiitake Medicinal Mushroom Lentinula edodes (Agaricomycetes) through Sawdust Supplementation

Lentinula edodes (shiitake mushroom) is a widely cultivated culinary-medicinal mushroom known for their nutritional benefits and distinctive flavor. This study investigates the effects of organic additives on the cultivation of L. edodes. Various substrates, including sawdust supplemented with wheat bran, rice bran, leguminous flour and oilseed cake were tested at three concentrations: 2%, 4%, and 6%. The results revealed that supplementation of sawdust with wheat bran at 6% concentration significantly enhanced mycelial growth stages which in turn resulted in higher biological and economic yield compared to other additives. The biological efficiency reached up to 58.89% with wheat bran supplementation. Additionally, morphological characters such as fruit body size and number not only were improved with these additives but also enhanced bioactive compounds (total phenol content ranged 3.19-4.63 mg GAE/g D.E., total flavonoid content ranged 1.00-1.58 mg CE/g D.E., tannin content ranged 0.51-0.63 mg CE/g D.E. but also antioxidant activity of L. edodes using DPPH assay ranged from 0.84-0.94 mg/mL and reducing power ranged from 2.23 and 2.94 mg/mL. These findings highlight the importance of substrate supplementation in optimizing L. edodes mushroom cultivation, contributing to increased production efficiency and quality.