Nutritional composition of three edible ectomycorrhizal mushrooms from Center of Côte d’Ivoire

Wild edible mushrooms of ectomycorrhizal are consumed in the center region of Côte d’Ivoire. In this study, the proximate composition, mineral element profile and amino acid profile of three selected wild edible ectomycorrhizal mushrooms from Center of Côte d’Ivoire including Lactarius subsericatus, Cantharellus platyphyllus and Amanita rubescens investigated. The mushrooms were harvested fresh, dried in an oven at 45°C for 48 hours, ground and analysed according to standard procedures. Proximate analysis showed high level of proteins (32.80±0.42–40.30±1.05%), crude fibre (7.27±0.28–18.72±0.5%), carbohydrate (44.20±1.30– 49.15±2.17%), ash (8.61±0.42–14.79±0.85%) and fat (2.39±0.04–4.70±0.06%) in all species. Mineral analysis of all species indicated the mushrooms were specifically rich in potassium, phosphorus and calcium. Potassium was found to be the most abundant mineral present in all specie ranging from 301.2 to 580.8 mg/100g. There were 18 amino acids, and the most predominant ones were glutamic acid and lysine in all species. In addition, the ratios of essential amino acids to total amino acids were 0.43 to 0.53. The high scores of essential amino acids present in these mushrooms implied that they have a high biological protein value. These mushrooms could be considered a potential health food and may be of use to the food industry as a source of ingredients with high nutritional value.