Process-function assessment of Pleurotus and Auricularia powders as wheat flour substitutes

Mushrooms are underexploited globally, especially in the Americas due to cultural factors. High dietary fiber, phenolic compounds and antioxidants make them promising for improving modern diets. This study evaluates Pleurotus ostreatus and Auricularia sp. powders as nutrient enriching partial substitutes for wheat flour. Fresh and dried mushrooms underwent scalable drying and were characterized by moisture, protein, lipids, ash, water/oil absorption and gelling capacity. FTIR spectroscopy supported structural analysis, while colorimetric changes and total polyphenol content were measured in both powders and model foods (cookies, noodles, fried sticks). Fungal powders contained more protein (23.5–28.4 % vs. 11.8 %) and lipids than wheat flour, though protein quality complementarity remained incomplete. P. ostreatus powder exhibited twice the oil absorption capacity and a fivefold higher water solubility index compared to wheat flour, whereas Auricularia sp. powder showed superior water absorption and gelling. Polyphenol retention depended on species and drying method: convective drying at 60 °C preserved up to 85 % of original content in P. ostreatus, while microwave processing at 210 W increased polyphenols in Auricularia sp. However, polyphenol levels in cooked products did not improve, indicating thermal degradation during processing. These findings contribute to knowledge of technological viability of fungal powders for wheat flour substitution, enabling nutrient enrichment and clean label innovation. Further strategies—such as extract encapsulation—are needed to protect antioxidant functionality in processed foods.

Practical application

The results suggest that the partial incorporation of fungal powders—specifically, P. ostreatus dried convectively at 70 °C and Auricularia sp. dried by microwave at 210 W—could be considered for partially replacing wheat flour in food products, taking advantage of their higher protein content and comparable lipid levels. However, the complementarity in protein quality is partial, and although variations in total polyphenol content were statistically significant, they did not lead to nutritionally relevant increases in cooked foods. Therefore, the use of these powders in industrial applications will require careful integration, possibly complemented by additional techniques (e.g., extract encapsulation) to effectively enhance their functional and antioxidant properties. These findings provide a basis for future research aimed at optimizing formulations and production processes while addressing the observed limitations before considering commercial-scale adoption.