Thesis Abstract

Abstract
Pleurotus tuberregium, commonly known as the "King Tuber" mushroom, is a highly nutritious and medicinal mushroom species that has gained popularity in recent years due to its various health benefits. This study aims to investigate and promote the cultivation and composition of Pleurotus tuberregium for its potential commercial and health-enhancing applications. The research will focus on optimizing the growth conditions for Pleurotus tuberregium cultivation, including substrate composition, temperature, humidity, and light exposure. Different agricultural waste materials will be tested as potential substrates for growing the mushrooms, with the aim of developing a cost-effective and sustainable cultivation method. Furthermore, the composition of Pleurotus tuberregium will be analyzed to determine its nutritional content, bioactive compounds, and potential medicinal properties. This analysis will involve evaluating the mushroom's protein, carbohydrate, fat, vitamin, and mineral content, as well as its antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. The study will also investigate the potential health benefits of consuming Pleurotus tuberregium, including its anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, and anti-cancer properties. Animal studies may be conducted to assess the mushroom's effects on various health parameters, such as immune function, oxidative stress, and tumor growth. Overall, this research aims to promote the cultivation and composition of Pleurotus tuberregium as a valuable source of nutrition and health-promoting compounds. The findings of this study may have implications for the commercial production of the mushroom as a functional food or dietary supplement, as well as for its potential use in pharmaceutical or nutraceutical applications. By increasing our understanding of the cultivation and composition of Pleurotus tuberregium, this research seeks to contribute to the development of sustainable and health-enhancing products that can benefit both consumers and the mushroom industry.

Thesis Overview

1. INTRODUCTION

plenntus tuberregium is a fungi as and an aerobic metabolism and generates energy form oxidation of organic compound. The morphor logical differentiation of plenntus tuberregium is limited. It forms hyphen and develop each type depending on the growth condition. The diameter of the hyphen is usually 5NM. The hyphen is either without septate or has a cellular morphology by septate hyphae. The mass of hyphae represent the mycellium (Stolp, 1988).
plenntus tuberregium posses rigid cell wall. It does not posses chlorophyll and it has a chemoorganotrophic metabolism. It belongs to the group of fungi called basidiomycetes and are the most developed fungi. They produce basidia containing the four basidiospores. The mycellium consist of septate hyphen.
However, plenntus tuberregium supplies the major food types. Protein, carbohydrates, fat and oil as well as minerals (OSO, 1977). It is known to be tastier than meat, fish or seed plant proteins. People who abstain from meat for religious reasons have greater choice of plant protein and superior alternative taste in plenntus tuberregium. The fruiting body as well as sclerotigl mass is more commercially
Demanded and yet minimally exploited.
Several indigenous knowledge and uses of plenntus tuberregium point to the tremendous potential of this biological resource.

1. As a food stablizer / thickening agent
2. As binding agent.
3. As a rich source of foric acid for children and pregnant women.
4. As a rich source of calcium for the bones of aging men and women as well as treatment for boils constipation and dental caries (Oso, 1977).

A visit tot he market place any where in Igbo land, would show this commodity being processed in the soup condiment section. The sclerotia mass is scrapped and ground with curcurbita (Melon seeds). This causes swelling and bulking of the soup. A local snacks called “Ogbalotic” is prepared from Curcurbita Pepo and plenntus tuberregium it is normally tied in a leaf of cola gigantea and boiled which yields a well known health and energy sustaining snacks. It is cherished till today in the villages. Travelers and farm workers need only this and large volume of water to sustain them for days.
This taxanomic position of plenntus tuberregium has been problematic because it produces eathery fruit bodies and posses of dogmatic hyphen system with interracially skeletal hyphae, many prenous authorities placed it in either panus or lentinus (Corner, 1981, Peyler, 1983).
plenntus tuberregium has been eaten since classical times (Corner, 1981, Nwokolo 1987, and Okhuoya, et al, 1998). The question of sustainability of plenntus tuberregium is guareur teed being a biological resources, the technology has been developed for massive production (Okhuoya et al 1998). Other added advantages include the fact that substrate for cultivation of plenntus tuberregium is waste such as rice straw, wood dust. Sunnlight is not required so that caves and shades could maximally produced plenntus tuberregium industrially.