Unearthing the therapeutic benefits of culinary-medicinal mushrooms for humans: Emerging sustainable bioresources of 21st century

Abstract

Global interest in mushroom farming techniques has grown in the last few years. Despite not making up a large amount of the human diet at the moment, the nutritional worth of mushrooms has prompted their usage. The three main segments of the global mushroom industry are wild, culinary (edible), and medicinal mushrooms. The quality food that mushrooms provide can be utilized to build agricultural ecosystems that are more sustainable for increasing productivity and enhancing the effectiveness of resource usage. This is mostly because mushrooms can be utilized for the recycling of biomass and remains from crop production. Culinary-medicinal mushrooms are becoming more and more important because of their nutrient density, dietary value, and health advantages. Given its many bioactive components, which include polysaccharides, proteins, vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber, and secondary metabolites, mushrooms have been utilized extensively as health foods. These mushrooms exhibit pharmacological activities and possess prebiotic and antibacterial capabilities. This review provides information on the latest advancements in the sustainable cultivation of mushrooms, particularly with nontraditional substrates, and their potential therapeutic uses. Furthermore, some of the newest developments and difficulties in the production of mushrooms are explored.