Antioxidant capacity and protein content of Pleurotus djamor cultivated on rice husk

Introduction: The present work aims to optimise the percentage of rice husk used in Pleurotus djamor (pink oyster mushroom) cultivation. Parameters tested were yield, cultivation duration, protein content, free radical scavenging ability and total phenolic content (TPC). Methods: Mushroom was cultivated in substrate bags containing 5%, 20% and 35% rice husk supplements, no rice husk supplement as control. Free radical scavenging ability and TPC were determined using DPPH and Folin-Ciocalteu methods, while Kjeldahl method was used to determine the protein content of the cultivated pink oyster mushroom. Results: The results showed that highest DPPH radical scavenging ability, total phenolic content, and protein content were observed in pink oyster mushroom cultivated with 35% supplementary rice husk. However, cultivating using 20% rice husk as supplement gives the most economical growth duration (68 days). Conclusion: The present study found that supplementary rice husk has a positive effect (P < 0.05) on the growth, protein content and antioxidant capacity of cultivated pink oyster mushroom