Introduction to the Nutritional and Medicinal Value of Black Fungus

Black fungus (scientific name: Auricularia auricula (L.ex Hook.) Underw), also known as wood ear, wood moth, Dingyang, tree mushroom, light wood ear, fine wood ear and cloud ear, is a saprophytic fungus that grows on rotten wood. Black fungus is leaf-shaped or nearly forest-shaped, with wavy edges, thin, 2 to 6 cm wide, about 2 mm thick, and fixed to the substrate with a short lateral stalk or a narrow base. In the early stage, it is soft and colloid, sticky and elastic, and then slightly cartilaginous. After drying, it shrinks strongly and becomes black, hard and brittle horny to nearly leathery. The outer edge of the back is arc-shaped, purple-brown to dark blue-gray, and sparsely covered with short hairs.

The temperate regions of Northeast Asia, especially northern China, are the main habitats for wild black fungus. In the temperate regions of North America and Australia, black fungus is relatively rare and is only found in southeastern Australia. Elderberry and oak are common habitats for black fungus in temperate Europe, but the number is relatively rare.

China is the hometown of black fungus. The Chinese nation recognized and developed black fungus as early as the Shennong era more than 4,000 years ago, and began to cultivate and eat it. The "Book of Rites" also records the consumption of black fungus at imperial banquets. According to modern scientific analysis, the content of protein, vitamins and iron in dried black fungus is very high. Its protein contains a variety of amino acids, especially lysine and leucine. Black fungus is not only a food, but also can be used as a traditional Chinese medicine. It is one of the important original plants that constitute the traditional Chinese medicine fungus. It has multiple medicinal effects such as replenishing qi and blood, moistening the lungs and relieving coughs, and stopping bleeding.

Black fungus is traditionally cultivated on logs. After the successful development of substitute cultivation in the late 1980s, substitute cultivation has become the main cultivation method for black fungus.

 

Black fungus cultivation process Black fungus cultivation has a very precise process, among which the main ones are the following aspects:

Selection and construction of ear field

For the selection of ear field, the main conditions are good ventilation and sunlight, easy drainage and irrigation, and keeping away from pollution sources. When constructing ear field, it is important to choose iron wire for bed frame, which can save raw materials, improve ventilation and light transmission, and can be recycled. The water spraying is mainly done by overhead treatment, which can make the water spraying effect more uniform and save water resources. The water spraying equipment needs to be arranged before the field is built.

Mixing materials

The mixing materials for black fungus are to evenly mix the main ingredients, calcium carbonate and bran, and then adjust the water content to about 50%.

Bagging

The bag material is low-pressure polyethylene material, with a specification of 14.7m×53cm×0.05cm. The bagging needs to be dense enough without feeling soft, and at the same time, ensure that each bag of culture medium is about 1.5kg.

Inoculation

Before this step, the curtain of the culture shed needs to be lowered. Then, pay attention to disinfecting the inoculation box. The disinfection time should be controlled at more than half an hour. The inoculation needle and sleeve should be cleaned and exposed to the sun, and then disinfected and scrubbed with alcohol. The strain can be soaked in about 300 times of carbendazim for about 5 minutes. After that, it can be dried in the sun. The inoculation personnel should wash their hands with alcohol, and then dry them in the inoculation box.

 

Cultivating fungi

In the process of growing black fungus, this link is crucial. The management of fungus is the key to cultivating black fungus. It is mainly about controlling the temperature in the greenhouse reasonably, which is directly related to the survival of mycelium. Therefore, strict control should be paid attention to, and the temperature must meet the actual standards. Regarding the placement of mycelium, the mushroom sticks should be placed in a "straight" pile after inoculation. For the inoculation of three-hole and four-hole single mushroom sticks, it should be noted that the scar is placed upward. The scar of the two-way inoculation needs to face both sides. The stack is about 7 layers high. On the top layer, pay attention to the shading treatment of the inoculation port side to avoid yellow water.