Ethnomycological prospect of wild edible and medicinal mushrooms from Central and Southern Africa - a review

• Published in: Food frontiers Vol. 4; no. 2; pp. 549 - 575
• Main Authors: Bastos, Claudete António André, Castanheira Liberal, Ângela Leonor, Moldão-Martins, Margarida, Catarino, Luís, Barros, Lillian
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley-Blackwell 2023
• Subjects: Edible and medicinal fungi; Ethnomycology
• DOI: 10.1002/fft2.215

In several regions of Africa, the daily diet is partly dependent on the edible products from wild animals, plants, and mushrooms, driven by their availability, wide distribution in the local environment, and the low incomes of the general population. The documentation of ethnomycological information is particularly important to validate or correct the identification of specimens and the preservation of these natural resources with cultivation potential, thus improving their consumption and utilization for medicinal purposes. The number of wild edible mushroom species consumed varies between different regions of Africa, with around 300 species being documented in the literature. However, despite its rich biodiversity, theAfrican continent is still underexploited, which is reflected in poor food contribution to populations that are often in need. Here, the safe use of mushrooms is guided by the insufficiency of studies that validate their nutritional and medicinal properties, since they are key factors in the suppression of protein deficiency in the everyday diet of the populations and a source of bioactive compounds useful for the formulation of added-value functional products. Thus, it becomes essential to investigate African mushrooms, not only from the identification point of view, but also in terms of nutritional, chemical, and bioactive characterization, hence deepen the knowledge about this valuable natural resource. Bearing these in mind, the main objective of this study is to systematize the knowledge available in scientific publications and specialized websites, thus gathering information about the valuable profits that come from using these widely appreciated natural products. The authors are grateful to the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) for financial support through national funds FCT/MCTES to CIMO (UIDB/00690/2020 and UIDP/00690/2020), SusTEC (LA/P/0007/2020), Margarida Moldão under the project (UIDB/04129/2020) of LEAF, research Unit, Luís Catarino (UIDB/00329/2020) of cE3c; national funding by F.C.T. and P.I., through the institutional scientific employment program-contract for L. Barros contract and C. Bastos (SFRH/BD/151519/2021) and Â. Liberal PhD research grants (BD/04585.2021).