Morphological and Molecular Identification, Nutritional Content, Myco-chemical Profiling and Antioxidant Properties of the Underutilised Myco-food Agrocybe broadwayi

Abstract

Background: The genus Agrocybe comprises saprophytic macro-fungi that occur on forest floors, grasslands and decaying plant material. Agrocybe broadwayi is a traditionally consumed wild myco-food in sub-Himalayan West Bengal, India, but information on its nutritional composition, myco-chemical profile and antioxidant properties remains limited. Aim: This study aimed to identify the mushroom using morphological and molecular approaches and to evaluate its nutritional and mineral contents, myco-chemical constituents and antioxidant activity. Place and Duration of the Study: The study was conducted in sub-Himalayan West Bengal, India, during the rainy season from May to August 2023. Methodology: Fruiting bodies of A. broadwayi were collected from the study area, and their macro- and micro-morphological characteristics were recorded. Molecular identification was performed using ITS-based DNA sequencing, followed by NCBI BLAST analysis and phylogenetic reconstruction in MEGA 11. The collected fruiting bodies were analysed for carbohydrate, protein, fat, energy and mineral contents. Methanol extract of the mushroom was used for qualitative myco-chemical screening, quantification of total phenol and flavonoid contents, and assessment of DPPH radical scavenging activity. Results: Morphological observations supported the identification of the specimen as A. broadwayi. The ITS sequence showed 99.20% nucleotide identity with a previously submitted A. broadwayi sequence, and the phylogenetic analysis clustered the studied sequence with other A. broadwayi sequences with strong bootstrap support. The mushroom contained 14.71 g/100 g protein, 2.03 g/100 g fat and an energy value of 276.70 Kcal/100 g. Essential minerals were detected in the fruiting bodies. The methanol extract contained phenols (14.73 mg GAE/g) and flavonoids (3.46 mg QE/g) and showed DPPH radical scavenging activity with an IC50 value of 0.74 mg/ml. Conclusion: The findings support the authenticated identity of A. broadwayi and indicate its nutritional and antioxidant potential as an underutilised myco-food.