SOLID-STATE FERMENTATION OF AGRICULTURAL WASTES INTO FOOD THROUGH PLEUROTUS CULTIVATION

The technical feasibility of using agricultural wastes (mango and date industry wastes) as a substrate for the cultivation of Pleurotus ostr eatus NRRL-0366 is evaluated. When comparing the biological efficiency of mushroom production, the highest yield of fruiting bodies was obta ined using a mixture of date waste and rice straw at a ratio (1:1) (11 .96%), followed by a mixture 3:1 (11.16%). The lowest one was the mixt ure 2:1 (9.19%). Fungus Pleurotus ostreatus NRRL-0366 can also be cult ivated on mango waste supplemented with rice straw at a different rati o. The best one was the 1:1 mixture (10.18%), whereas the lowest was a mixture 3:1 (6.4%). Comparing the results obtained favored the use of date waste as a substrate for growing Pleurotus ostreatus NRRL-0366. Spawn was cultured on three different substrates as follows: Date wast e alone (I); 1:1 (by wt) date waste and rice straw (II); 1:1:1 date wa ste, rice straw, and corncobs (III). Final dry weight and composition of the fruiting bodies are tabulated for the three sets of conditions. Date waste and rice straw mixture (II) is a good source of nonstarchy carbohydrate (67%) and protein (27.44%) containing amounts of essenti al amino acids, especially lysine and low RNA (3.81%). Elemental analy sis were studied in the fruit bodies of the three media.