Characterisation of Material Generated on the Surface of Wheat Straw during Composting for Mushroom Production

• Published in: Journal of the science of food and agriculture Vol. 70; no. 4; pp. 461 - 467
• Main Authors: Iiyami, Kenji, Lam, Thi Bach Tuyet, Stone, Bruce A, Macauley, Barry J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London John Wiley & Sons, Ltd 01.04.1996; Published for the Society of Chemical Industry by Elsevier Applied Science
• Subjects: Agaricus bisporus; alkaline nitrobenzene oxidation; carbohydrate; compost; composting; lignin; mushroom; wheat straw
• ISSN: 0022-5142; 1097-0010
• DOI: 10.1002/(SICI)1097-0010(199604)70:4<461::AID-JSFA501>3.0.CO;2-4

The dark‐coloured material formed on the surfaces of wheat straw internodes in composts prepared by conventional (stack) procedures for mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) production was isolated by immersing in water and rubbing gently between the fingers. The chemical composition of the material was analysed by chemical and spectroscopic procedures, and changes in colour of the material were characterised using various reagents. The results suggest that the material is composed of modified cell wall components of composted straws, presumably by the actions of compost microorganisms, and the dark colour is due to aromatic structures of oxidatively modified lignin in the cell wall of straws.