Mushrooms are turning up on dinner tables across Australia in greater numbers than ever, as people to look for meat alternatives.
And new research by the CSIRO is looking into how the unique nutrients found in mushrooms could have health benefits for people living with high cholesterol or the risk of dementia.
Mushrooms fall through the gaps in the food world. They are neither a plant nor an animal, but part of their own biological kingdom, which means they have a unique set of vitamins and minerals that have nutritionists and researchers excited.
As household budgets are stretched by rising living costs across Australia, many are looking to reduce the amount of meat and seafood in their weekly menus.
Subbing for meat
Climate scientists say reducing meat consumption can help cut greenhouse gas emissions, and mushrooms are being touted as a replacement.
Research has also found that an interest in diet diversity is driving people to explore plant-based options – one study found curiosity was the main driver of interest in meat alternatives, before ethical or environmental concerns.
Fungi production is growing every year in Australia, with Victoria and New South Wales leading output. The value of the industry shot up about 25 per cent between 2012 and 2020, to $368 million.
Australians are eating more than 70,000 tonnes of mushrooms a year, compared with about 65,000 tonnes in 2013.
About 50 growers produce the mushrooms, but fungi can just as easily be grown on the smallest of scales.
Josef Sestokas was a police officer for four decades, but now he grows mushrooms in a 9-metre by 4-metre purpose-built shed in Victoria's Gippsland region.
Mr Sestokas and his wife Leah run Flooding Creek Fungi, which supplies exotic mushrooms to restaurants and families across the east of the state.
"We go to farmers' markets when we can. We went nearly every Saturday for a whole year and then demand went up in November last year from the restaurants," Mr Sestokas says.
"It kind of meant that we were cleaned out by the time the weekend came around and we pulled out of markets.
"The demand's dropped off again for a couple of reasons – a chef moved on, and it's just actually harder economic times and people are a bit more careful about their spending.
"But I'm not saying mushrooms are a luxury item – for some people they're a staple, and particularly vegans."
Nutrition matters
Fungi offer similar textures and flavours to meat, according to nutritionist Flavia Fayet-Moore.
"From a culinary perspective, mushrooms perform really well as a meat replacement," Dr Fayet-Moore says.
"They also give the umami flavour. When you add umami, it's the meat savoury taste, and that makes food taste better."
But the most exciting thing about mushrooms is their unique health benefits, says Dr Fayet-Moore, who has been leading studies commissioned by the research and development corporation Hort Innovation.
In the final year of a three-year project, Dr Fayet-Moore is collating evidence on where mushrooms should fit in dietary guidelines.
Mushrooms are rich in chitin, which makes them meaty and a good source of dietary fibre. They also contain beta-glucans that have been found to reduce cholesterol.
They can also absorb vitamin D if placed in the sun for 10 minutes – just like humans – making them one of the few foods that naturally contain the vitamin.
New research by the CSIRO is investigating whether the antioxidant amino acid ergothioneine found in mushrooms could reduce the risk of dementia, improve memory and mood.
The research organisation is carrying out a phase-two clinical trial to determine the effects of a biosynthetic form of ergothioneine on cognitive function in the general population.
"There is an emerging body of research to suggest that consuming mushrooms may be associated with good brain health," CSIRO senior research scientist Naomi Kakoschke says.
"This is because mushrooms contain components such as ergothioneine, which is thought to act as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compound."
Mushrooms for dementia
Dr Kakoschke says studies have already shown that ergothioneine decreases with age and in people with impaired cognitive function.
"Research has also linked higher intake of mushrooms with a lower rate of dementia," she says.
Dr Kakoschke says the ergothioneine ingredient being tested is manufactured to contain the single ingredient, which is not being derived from mushrooms.
"We are looking at the benefit of daily consumption of ergothioneine for cognitive function in people who report memory complaints," she says.
"In addition to the cognitive benefits, we will also measure sleep quality, mood and changes in biochemical [blood] markers."
Mr Sestokas, who has been growing mushrooms for about four years, says the health benefits are what interested him in growing fungi.
"I was attracted to it somewhat by the fact that the lion's mane is purported to have some benefits for offsetting dementia, or at least delay it for a time," he says.
"My mum went that way. And everyone knows somebody that's had dementia, I think."
