Vitamin D from Mushroom By-Products

Ultra violet light-induced generation of Vitamin D in mushroom by-products

Researcher: Dr Dominic Agyei, Department of Food Science.
Dr Agyei's research expertise includes bioprocess engineering; bioinformatics-driven discovery of functional/bioactive metabolites and enzyme-based valorisation of food wastes.

Project Description: The mushroom industry in New Zealand is burgeoning, allowing for all year supply of mushrooms in the country. Mushrooms are grown on compost material. During harvest, the mushroom stalks are trimmed off, leaving behind the edible portion (the cap). As by-products, the stalks are composted into humus for growing crops. However, another value (perhaps a greater one) can be obtained from these mushroom by-products by using them as substrates for the production of Vitamin D. This is possible due to the fact that the levels of Vitamin D in mushrooms can be further increased via exposure to UVB (280-315 nm) radiation, much in the same way as the human skin makes Vitamin D. In this project, the UV-induced production, stability, and bioaccessibility of Vitamin D in stalks of several NZ varieties of mushroom will be studied. This project is relevant to the Technical Innovations sub-theme, as it could lead to the generation of a high-value product (Vitamin D) from mushroom by-products.

This project received Food Waste Innovation seed funding in November 2020 and is currently in progress. Any project developments will be added to this description as they arise. We look forward to seeing the results of this interesting research!