Effect of Processing on the Chemical Composition and Phytochemical Properties of Lentinus squarrosulus Mushroom Flour

Aims: To assessing the effect of boiling and fermentation on Proximate, mineral, dietary fibre and phytochemical compositions of the raw and processed Lentinus squarrosulus mushroom. Study Design: The mushroom was cultivated, processed into boiled and fermented flour and then analysed. Place and Duration of the Study: Department of Food Science and Technology, the Federal University of Technology, Akure, Ondo State and Department of Food Technology, The Federal Polytechnic, Ado Ekiti, between February 2020 and March 2022. Methodology: Lentinus squarrosulus spawn was obtained and grown into edible mushroom. The mushroom was divided into three, two portions were processed into boiled and fermented mushroom and the third one was used as control. The three samples were analysed for proximate, mineral, dietary fibre and phytochemical compositions. Results: The proximate composition revealed that moisture content ranged between 10.78-11.66%, ash 5.58-6.11%, fat 3.93-5.10%, crude fibre 6.79-7.29%, protein 16.88-20.53%, carbohydrate 51.24-53.88% and the energy value 321.41-330.15 kcal/100 g. Fermentation helped to improve the protein content of the sample. Mineral composition revealed that the samples were significantly different (p<0.05). Fermented sample had higher value in sodium, phosphorus, magnesium and iron, boiled sample was high in calcium and selenium while raw mushroom was high in manganese and zinc. Boiled sample has the least soluble fibre but high in insoluble fibre, this may be as a result of the soluble fibre being dissolved in water during boiling, but fermentation improved the soluble fibre content. The phytochemical composition revealed that fermentation improved the saponin and cardiac glycoside, boiling improved the terpenoid and cardiac glycoside while phlobatannin was only present in a small quantity in raw sample. Conclusion: Fermentation and boiling process helped to improve some nutrients in the processed mushroom flour and they can be used as food supplements.