Grifola gargal and G. sordulenta, Two Wild Edible Mushrooms with Perspectives as Biotech Products

Grifola gargal Singer and Grifola sordulenta Mont. (Singer) are two edible and medicinal mushroom species which occur in the Andino- Patagonian forests of Argentina and Chile. These woods that mainly consist of Nothofagus spp. are under increasing pressure with the consequent need of finding alternative sources for these mushrooms rather than gathering them. The main interest in these species is their culinary properties, which include a characteristic almond flavor present in the basidiomes, mycelium from submerged culture and solid-state fermented substrates, as well as the closely related Grifola frondosa , a well-known medicinal mushroom. In recent years G. gargal and G. sordulenta have been studied for both their medicinal properties and culture conditions by researchers from Argentina, Chile, Japan and USA. However, neither industrial application nor commercial production has been undertaken. In this situation, a relevant role for fermentation technologies to develop possible future products from these wild-grown mushrooms is emphasized. Indeed, biotransformed wheat grains obtained through solid-state fermentation showed antioxidant and antigenotoxic activities which were comparable with those recorded from mycelium and basidiomes. The article comments on the up-to-date findings and state of research of these novel species, emphasizing some future research topics.