Multivariate Statistical Techniques: A New Approach to Identify the Commercial Properties of Mixtures of Flours of Lentinula edodes and Cocoa Pod Husk.

Lentinula edodes is known to show high nutritional and organoleptic properties and can be mixed with different by-products in the production of new foods with important functional characteristics. Cocoa pod husk (CPH) is the main by-product in the cocoa industry and presents important bioactivities. In this research, two mixtures were applied based on Lentinula edodes mushroom flour from fifty different strains (strain 1 to strain 50) and cocoa pod husk flour (CPHF): 60% Lentinula edodes mushroom flour from each strain mixed with 40% CPHF (Mixture 1), and 80% Lentinula edodes mushroom flour from each strain mixed with 20% CPHF (Mixture 2). The parameters evaluated were moisture, proteins, fat, total dietary fiber (TDF), ash, carbohydrates, antioxidant capacity, antimicrobial activity, pH and water activity (aw). The multivariate statistical techniques evaluated those samples that exhibited the highest degree of correlation with the distinct chemical and commercial parameters, showing that sample 13 of both mixture flours (M1 and M2) obtained by the mushrooms of L. edodes (strain 13) with CPH indicated the higher significant of the parameters. In addition, the sensory test of the best flour (sample 13) was applied to 50 panelists, presenting the best sensory characteristics, such as color, aroma, texture and general acceptability.

Data-Mining Techniques: A New Approach to Identifying the Links among Hybrid Strains of Pleurotus with Culture Media.

In this study, a data set of mycelial and cultural characteristics of hybrid strains of Pleurotus ostreatus and Pleurotus djamor were analyzed using three data-mining techniques: the K-medoids clustering algorithm, PCA biplot and the association rules algorithm. The characteristics evaluated were as follows: maximum velocity; lag phase; biomass; and exopolysaccharides content in the cultivation of 50 hybrid strains of Pleurotus ostreatus and 50 hybrid strains of Pleurotus djamor. Different mixtures of culture media were used to supplement Ecuadorian agricultural products. Data of the parameters obtained in the experimental methods were grouped into four clusters, obtaining a presentation of the hybrid strains of Pleurotus with a higher relation to each characteristic measured. Data-mining tools showed the hybrid strains cultivated on solid-culture media (M1 = malt extract agar and rice flour) and liquid-culture media (L1 = maltose, yeast extract and rice flour) presented the highest mycelial and cultural characteristics. These results are good indicators to improve the industrial production of edible fungi by using rice flour in the cultivation, contributing to the mushroom market and circular economy.

Application of K-Means Clustering Algorithm to Commercial Parameters of Pleurotus spp. Cultivated on Representative Agricultural Wastes from Province of Guayas.

Data of the commercial parameters of Pleurotus ostreatus and Pleurotus djamor were analyzed using the data mining technique: K-means clustering algorithm. The parameters evaluated were: biological efficiency, crop yield ratio, productivity rate, nutritional composition, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities in the production of fruit bodies of 50 strains of Pleurotus ostreatus and 50 strains of Pleurotus djamor, cultivated on the most representative agricultural wastes from the province of Guayas: 80% sugarcane bagasse and 20% wheat straw (M1), and 60% wheat straw and 40% sugarcane bagasse (M2). The database of the parameters obtained in experimental procedures was grouped into three clusters, providing a visualization of the strains with a higher relation to each parameter (vector) measured.

Characterization of Pleurotus djamor neohaplonts recovered by production of protoplasts and chemical dedikaryotization.

Production of hybrid strains is accomplished by mating monosporic isolates or neohaplonts, obtained either by chemical dedikaryotization or by production of protoplast. However, differences in growth rate among recovered neohaplonts have been reported. The presence of phenotypic and genetic changes among the neohaplonts recovered either by chemical dedikaryotization or by production of protoplast, was evaluated by measuring growth and morphology, and by molecular characterization using six ISSR markers to identify polymorphisms. Neohaplonts recovered by both methods presented variation in growth rate depending on their compatibility type and recovery method. Using ISSR markers, 59.2% polymorphism was established. Neohaplonts recovered by both monokaryotization procedures presented differences in growth rate and polymorphism.