EFFECT OF CULTURE PRESERVATION METHODS IN THE STABILITY AND NUTRITIONAL CHARACTERISTICS OF PLEUROTUS OSTREATUSLAURA P. BERMEO ESCOBAR, JUAN PABLO PENAGOS GONZÁLEZ, MARCELA ORJUELA RODRÍGUEZ AND KATHERIN CASTRO-RÍOSAbstract The fungi of the genus Pleurotus correspond to the second group of macromycetes most commercialized worldwide. Its nutritional properties include a low caloric intake with a high content of protein, fiber, and carbohydrates, as well as the presence of essential amino acids. The yields of the Pleurotus production and its chemical composition can be affected by the substrates used for its production, as well as the strains conservation methods. The present investigation analyzed the influence of the methods of preserving Pleurotus ostreatus strains in sterile distilled water, sterile mineral oil, sterile saline solution and periodic subculture, the purity, and viability of the preserved strains, biological efficiency and rate of productivity in the crop, and the nutritional properties of the fruiting body of Pleurotus ostreatus. It was found that the conservation methods evaluated maintained the viability and purity of all preserved strains, maintaining their macro and microscopic characteristics after four months of storage at 4 °C without affecting the nutritional characteristics potential. Furthermore, the rate of productivity and biological efficiency of the cultivation was not affected by the preservation method evaluated for strain preservation of Pleurotus ostreatus. |