Cultivation of Trametes versicolor on supplemented agro-forestry wastes: yield, antioxidant activity, and first report from Iran

Abstract

Trametes versicolor (turkey tail) is one of the wild medicinal mushrooms, and the most important of all medicinal mushrooms. To date, there are no reports of commercial cultivation of this species and this is the first report of successful cultivation in Iran..Trametes versicolor was collected from the Hyrcanian forest area in the north of Iran and identified by analyzing of the rpb2 and ITS sequences. Sawdust 90% and wheat bran 10% substrate formulation revealed the longest duration for spawn running, primordial initiation, total cultivation period, and days to the first harvest, recording values of 21.7 ± 1, 24.3 ± 1, 39.7 ± 2, and 29.7 ± 4 days, respectively. However, better yield performance and biological efficiency were recorded in the sawdust 70% + wheat bran 30% substrate formulation (S10; C/N ratio = 40), with values of 159 ± 4 g/kg and 45.5%, respectively. The substrate moisture content was maintained at 65%, while the relative humidity and temperature in the fruiting room were maintained at 80–90% and 24 ± 1 °C, respectively. Among fruiting bodies harvested from 13 various substrate formulations, the highest values of total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC) were recorded in S10, with values of 78 mg GAE/g DW extract and 14.76 ± 2 mg QE/g DW extract, respectively. Subsequently, the highest DPPH free radical scavenging activity (antioxidant activity) was recorded in the same medium, with an IC50 value of 24.28 µg/mL. These findings demonstrate the significant potential for using local agricultural waste for the cultivation of medicinal mushrooms. Furthermore, T. versicolor extracts show promise as a natural source of antioxidant(s) and/or radical scavengers, which could eventually be used as medicinal compounds or functional food supplements in the treatment of diseases.