MT21003 - Consumer demand spaces for horticulture
Key research provider: Kantar Insights
This investment is identifying and prioritising opportunities to engage consumers and build demand across the domestic market for fruits, nuts and vegetables. It will deliver a framework that can be used by industry to inform their decision-making around product development and marketing campaigns. The project team will compare the current ‘state of play’ against identified opportunities and prioritise based on potential impact.
The framework will be informed by research into:
Current market landscape and competitive dynamics
Consumer segmentation
Consumer occasion-based needs
‘White space’ opportunities where consumer needs are currently unmet.
MU21000 - Digitisation of mushroom industry archive
Key delivery partner: Australian Mushroom Growers Association
Running for six months, this short project digitised the Australian Mushroom Growers’ Association archive of industry research, marketing, and communication outputs. The digitisation provided the Australian mushroom industry with full access to these valuable materials. The archive included industry journals, research reports, books, posters, and recipes.
The materials cover numerous topics including market and consumer research, training and educational materials, pests and diseases and production and crop.
All materials were digitised and made available online through the Australian Mushroom Growers’ Association (AMGA) website at australianmushroomgrowers.com.au. The documents were categorised to allow easy access by Australian mushroom growers, suppliers, researchers, and other industry stakeholders.
The digitization of materials has allowed the Australian mushroom industry to access a wealth of resources that were previously unavailable. In the longer term, this will increase their awareness of results from previous R&D and marketing investments, increasing productivity and quality across the mushroom industry.
The newly digitised resources will be further promoted through the Mushroom Industry Communications Program (MU21003), the Australian Mushrooms Journal, as well as the industry website and e-newsletters.
Project outputs
MU20001 - Mushrooms and their potential health benefits of lowering blood cholesterol
Key research provider: CSIRO
This project is generating scientific evidence on mushrooms and their ability to lower blood cholesterol.
At present, high-level health claims, authorised by the Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ), show that the β-glucan from oats or barley has a direct impact on lowering cholesterol. The same β-glucan molecules in oats are also in mushrooms, however they differ in structure. The project is working to compare whether the β-glucan in mushrooms has the same blood lowering effects as the β-glucan in oats.
Findings from the research will inform whether a health claim on mushrooms and blood cholesterol lowering can be authorised by FSANZ.
MU20003 - Educating the food industry about Australian Mushrooms
Key research provider: Australian Mushroom Growers’ Association
This investment is delivering evidence-based information about Australian mushrooms to health and food service professionals in Australia. By improving the awareness, knowledge and attitude of health professionals to the nutrition and health benefits of mushrooms, they will be encouraged to recommend mushroom to their clients, or include mushroom in their menus, and ultimately help to drive purchase and consumption.
The project team will undertake a range of activities, including:
Engaging with key decision-makers from top tier commercial and institutional catering organisations to discuss the inclusion of mushrooms in
Providing educational material to culinary schools, mushroom growers, food service professionals and dietitians. These educational resources will improve understanding of mushrooms, as well encourage confidence and proficiency at using them.
Developing case studies that showcase the health benefits of mushrooms
Updating culinary school curriculums to include the nutrition, health and culinary uses of mushrooms
Participating in food industry professional conferences to further promote mushrooms
Conducting farm tours to connect health professionals to mushroom growers.
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Over the last four months, the research team have focused on food industry research which will be used to form the strategic plan for the project. The significant outputs of this period included the partial completion of phase 2 of the Food Industry Insights Report, with nine one-on-one food industry Key Opinion Leader (KOL) interviews completed, the commencement of a food industry market research poll (survey), and the completion of the project communications plan.
Although partially completed, the one-on-one KOL interviews and market research polls have delivered significant quantitative and qualitative insights into the sector, which will be used to inform the strategic plan for the project in the next phase - case study interventions with high quantum of influence organisations. Insights gathered from the KOL interviews to date have been collated and summarized under five key territories: health centricity, knowledge, nutrition issue/challenges, usage (barriers and drivers), and communication (what and how). Initial findings were shared with the Project Reference Group (PRG) group in May.
With economic challenges in the food industry and labour shortages as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, securing one-on-one KOL interviews have been more difficult than expected and has caused delays to the completion of phase 2 of the Food Industry Insights report and project milestone. Nine KOL interviews have been achieved within this reporting period with the remaining interviews scheduled for June. Subsequently, the Food Industry Insights webinar will be presented to the mushroom industry in July/August.
Despite this challenge, the project team have succeeded to develop a solid database of food industry health professionals and identify significant opportunities for case study interventions within the institutional catering sector, to build the foundations that will underpin the strategic plan for the project.
MU20006 - Mushroom industry crisis and reputation risk management
Key research provider: Australian Mushroom Grower’s Association
This investment is maintaining a crisis and reputation risk management plan for the Australian mushroom industry. In the event of an issue or crisis, having a clear plan in place ensures the industry is prepared with the information and processes needed to respond effectively, responsibly and in a coordinated, unified way. A plan, and the relevant training this project will deliver, also ensures that stakeholders involved in crisis response for the industry understand the process and are equipped and ready to be involved.
It builds on the work completed under Australian mushrooms crisis and risk management (MU18007).
MU20000 - Extension and Adoption for Food Safety, Quality and Risk Management
Key research provider: Australian Mushroom Growers’ Association
This investment is delivering targeted information on food safety, quality and risk management to the mushroom industry through a range of proactive channels. By providing access to extensive information and support, this project will assist all mushroom supply chain businesses and their staff to adopt best practice in their businesses.
An online knowledge hub will be established that hosts practical information on food safety and quality areas such as State and Federal legislation, compliance systems, retailer requirements, and research findings on mushroom food safety. This information will be further disseminated through communications activities such as articles in the mushroom industry journal and e-newsletter, presentations at regional workshops, on-farming training, and webinars.
The project team will provide technical industry support through activities such as representation on the AMSAFE committee, coordination of the verification testing program, advice on all aspects of food safety system compliance, identification of research required to underpin critical limits, and on-call crisis support.
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Despite some project activities being limited by recent COVID restrictions, The project team reports significant progress in a number of areas:
Further refinement of the knowledge and information hub
Development of a basic food safety training program for mushroom farms
Scripting of a video demonstrating the sampling process for testing
Re-booting of the AMGA testing program.
One important achievement has been the development of a simple food safety Code of Practice for non-certified mushroom farms, together with supporting forms and documents. The result is a code that does not impose a heavy burden, but rather encourages good business practice and raises food safety awareness.
MT18011 - Ex-post impact assessment
Key research provider: AgEconPlus
Hort Innovation has engaged independent consultants to evaluate the impact of our R&D investments, providing insights into the type and magnitude of impacts that are being generated across the company’s strategic levy programs. This is a key piece of investment evaluation work, and an annual process for the company under the project Ex-post impact assessment (MT18011).
The final summary and aggregate results for the 2017/18, 2018/19 and 2019/20 impact assessment evaluations were finalised in 2021, providing an overall summary of the three year data, along with a selection of other summary results demonstrating the performance of Hort Innovation’s RD&E investments.
Project outputs
Full impact assessment report: Mushroom Production Waste Streams, Novel Approaches to Management and Value Creation (MU17005)
MU16004 - Marsh Lawson Mushroom Research Centre (MLMRC)
AHR Employees Sandra Evangelista and Tyler Kristensen working in the Marsh Lawson Mushroom Research Unit
Key research provider: The University of Sydney and Applied Horticultural Research (AHR)
This project supports the running and development of the Marsh Lawson Mushroom Research Centre (MLMRC) at the University of Sydney. The MLMRC is a world-class facility dedicated to mushrooms, and the research that takes place there will help the mushroom industry drive innovation, adopt best practice and tackle issues, while encouraging new expertise in the industry.
During the project, the facility will grow in size and capability, with the addition of new growing rooms and a purpose-built compost research facility.
What was it all about?
From 2017 to 2022, this investment supported the running and development of the Marsh Lawson Mushroom Research Centre (MLMRC) at the University of Sydney. The MLMRC is a world-class facility dedicated to mushrooms and the research that takes place there will help the mushroom industry drive innovation, adopt best practice and tackle issues, while encouraging new expertise in the industry.
This project was delivered jointly by The University of Sydney, who provided and maintained the research facilities and took charge of employing growers, and Applied Horticultural Research (AHR), who provided the management services outlined in the proposal.
The Marsh Lawson Mushroom Research Centre was directed by an industry-focused independent Steering Committee that prioritised research directions and led planning discussions towards transitioning to a new research facility. This Steering Committee has now developed into an important source of technical expertise that provides an industry overview into mushroom research funded by Hort Innovation and the industry levy.
Key impacts for the project include input into shaping the research direction for the mushroom industry, maintenance and improvement of the purpose build mushroom research facility at the University of Sydney, and progress on transition to new growing and composting research facilities.
The project, either directly or through the research facility has contributed the following outcomes for the Australian mushroom industry:
Commercially available PCR-based disease testing of compost and growing facilities
Assessments of recycled organics as a substitute up to 25 per cent of the peat used casing soil
Data to support a label extension of the fungicide metrafenone to control mushroom disease
Improved understanding of the microbial processes in mushroom compost production which may lead to more productive or functionally improved compost
Evaluation of products that can improve the whiteness and freshness of mushrooms.
ACT NOW
The MLMRC project delivered a total of 11 webinars aimed at producers, communicating research outcomes involving Australian and international researchers.
Watch the webinars below:
MU17002 - Educating health professionals about Australian mushrooms
Key delivery partner: Nutrition Research Australia
This education program is all about delivering research and information on the nutritional benefits of mushrooms to Australian health professionals including dietitians, nutritionists, GPs and more. The project team is bringing together the latest science on the health benefits of mushrooms, and using this for the development and dissemination of evidence-based messages and tools. The ultimate goal is to equip and empower these health professionals to in turn motivate their patients and clients to include mushrooms in their diets.
Apart from reviewing and consolidating research, specific project activities will include a revamp of the health and science section of the www.australianmushrooms.com.au website, presentations at relevant professional conferences, the distribution of materials such as brochures and e-newsletters, and other engagement activities for health professionals such as webinars and an expert roundtable event.
Project Outputs
Final Report
MU17004 - Optimising nitrogen transformations in mushroom production
Key Delivery partner: The university of sydney
This project will ultimately help mushroom growers to optimise the rate and timing of nitrogen additions, to achieve maximum yield and nutritional value.
The project team are currently exploring the fate of nitrogen used in mushroom production and composting, including developing a better understanding the microorganisms that are involved in transforming the nitrogen that is added throughout the mushroom production process into other forms. They are also looking at ways and timings to maximise nitrogen use efficiency and promote nitrogen retention for composting, and more. A best practice guide for growers will be produced out of the project findings.
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This project explores the fate of nitrogen in mushroom compost and mushroom production, allowing growers to optimize the rate and timing of nitrogen additions to achieve maximum yield and crop nutritional value. Work in the current project period has focused on the timing of supplements added to compost during cropping, and on the efficacy of microbial inocula added during spawn run in promoting mycelial growth.
Supplementing crops with nitrogen immediately before each flush provided an increased yield of about 7 per cent, with much of this increase occurring in second flush. The nitrogen content of mushroom caps and stipes was found to be significantly enhanced in mushrooms from second and third flush, which contained 7-8 per cent N (dry wt) compared with 4-5 per cent N (dry wt) in first flush mushrooms. Similar results were found on a commercial farm, suggesting that late-flush mushrooms may be described as “high nitrogen” versions of the crop.
Test of mycelial growth promotion with combinations of abundant compost bacteria including Pseudoxanthomonas, Bacillus and Chelatococcus revealed that stimulation of mushroom growth was dependent on co-inoculation with the dominant fungus Mycothermus (formerly Scytalidium). Work is continuing to establish the effect of these treatments on crop yield.
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Since the last project update, work has focused on completing an overall nitrogen balance for mushroom composting and cropping, reviewing alternative nitrogen sources for Australian composters, and designing and testing microbial consortia for compost inoculation.
Detailed measurements taken during Phase 2 of composting showed nitrous oxide production much lower than expected, and ammonia released by the compost largely reabsorbed. Major loss of nitrogen during composting therefore occurs primarily during Phase 1, partly as leachate and partly as ammonia release.
Calculating an industry average for these losses is difficult because of variation in the proportion of recycled leachate used by different composters for straw wetting. Further limitations to nitrogen balance calculations were identified in the overall mass losses experienced by all composters.
Possible alternative nitrogen sources for the Australian mushroom industry were reviewed, focused on agricultural by-products already tested overseas. The need for an up-to-date inventory of the types, quantities, and localities of agricultural and food production by-products was highlighted. Local availability is particularly important in establishing test experiments for these feedstocks.
Ten bacterial taxa were identified as potential consortium for compost inoculation. The dominant genera are Pseudoxanthomonas, Chelatococcus, Chelatovorans, Thermus and Thermobacillus. These will be combined with Mycothermus, the dominant fungus in Phase 2 compost, for stability and functionality testing.
While some impact due to COVID-19 restrictions disrupted research progress, the team continues to work to mitigate any delays.
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Since the last project update, a survey of 10 Australian mushroom composting facilities across four States has been completed. It included a comparison of composting management processes and compost bacterial activity. The results delivered initial insights to inform the selection of compost yards for further nitrogen management analysis.
The survey revealed that an average of 10 per cent of input nitrogen is incorporated into the mushroom crop, and about 20 per cent of the total is lost as leachate or nitrogen-containing gases. Nitrogen losses also occur from the compost and casing during cropping. To better understand this process, two cropping trials have been established in the Marsh-Lawson Mushroom Unit. Analysis has unfortunately been delayed due to Covid-19 impacts.
The team have isolated specific microorganisms from high temperature composts, with the dominant strains identified by DNA sequencing and characterised. Interactions between the two main compost fungi (Mycothermus thermophilus and Agaricus bisporus) and the dominant Phase 2 bacterial taxa (Pseudoxanthomonas spp) have been examined in more detail. Due to the high relevance of these bacterial taxa, their entire genetic sequence has been determined, with analysis of their functional capabilities ongoing.
The compost isolate collection contains 175 isolates of 58 different species. This is now sufficient for the design of potential compost inoculation treatments aimed at optimising the composting process.
The reporting period coincided with Covid-19 related work and travel restrictions, resulting in considerable disruption to research progress. The team will continue to share results with industry as opportunities become available.
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The project team commenced work in January 2019 and have already isolated and characterised a substantial collection of bacterial strains taken from a range of Australian compost yards in New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania. These samples represent the dominant cultivable bacteria in composts and will underpin the rest of the project.
Many of the most prevalent strains identified were very similar, despite coming from different geographical areas, confirming the conserved biological nature of mushroom composting across Australia.
Analysis of the composts revealed that many of the dominant species have not yet been captured in the strain collection. These are now being targeted using specifically designed growth media and selective conditions.
A detailed survey regarding current nitrogen management by Australian composters was started, with field trips to facilities in Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia, and visits planned to Queensland. The results of this confidential survey will be used to identify composting yards that represent the diversity of processes in the Australian industry, informing the project’s detailed nitrogen balance studies.
ACT NOW
Read an overview of the project in this article, Optimisation of nitrogen use in mushroom production, published on pages 34-35 in the spring 2019 edition of the Australian Mushrooms Journal.
Project outputs:
Australian Mushrooms Journal, Spring 2019 edition page 30
MU17006 - Developing a database of bio-markers for compost quality control to maximise mushroom production yield
Key delivery partner: The University of Sydney
The quality and yield of button mushroom crops are critically dependent on the quality of compost used. Beginning in June 2019, this investment is exploring how microbial populations within compost can be used to understand, measure and manipulate compost quality.
The project team’s work involves investigating microbial populations across a range of mushroom composting facilities. This includes looking at the microbial population dynamics at different points along the composting timeline, how they align with other compost quality indicators and correlating everything back to mushroom crop yield and quality.
The research will culminate in a database of compost ‘bio-markers’ (microbe indicators) for the industry, which will be able to be used to assist in maximising productivity and crop outcomes.
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Progress in this project was severely impacted by the COVID-19 lockdown in the second half of 2021, and work in this period was therefore limited to software development and training.
Sample collection at participating compost yards for the feasibility study recommenced in December 2021, and was completed by April 2022.
These samples represent a time-course from three successive crops at four independent mushroom composting facilities across New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. Analysis of chemical compost quality markers in these samples (pH, moisture, total C and N, soluble C and N, microbial biomass, humification index, nitrification index) is nearly complete, and the microbial community analysis of these samples has been completed.
The results indicate good reproducibility between compost crops at Phase II but considerable variability between individual crops at earlier stages of the composting process, and this will be used to inform the design of the full scale compost biomarkers study.
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Since project commencement, progress has been severely impacted by COVID-19 travel restrictions, leading to a temporary pause in research activites.
Restarting in January 2021, the team focused on developing effective and reproducible compost sampling strategies.
The initial phase worked to assess changes in microbial diversity and other compost quality parameters in three successive compost crops from yards in three different States. With sampling almost complete, the analytical methods required for analysis have been optimised.
The results from this study are now being used to prepare methods for a much larger one-year study.
Project outputs
Australian Mushrooms Journal, spring 2019 edition page 32
Mushroom Virus X Syndrome - Patch Disease and Brown Cap Mushroom Disease
Mushroom Virus X syndrome (MVX) describes a range of symptoms including delayed opening, reduced yields, distorted mushrooms and cap browning which express on cultivated Agaricus bisporus crops. MVX syndrome is now known to be a combination of two separate virus diseases – Patch Disease and Brown Cap Mushroom Disease – which can occur together and express a variable and complex symptomology. In some cases, one or two symptoms may predominate.
MVX syndrome first emerged in Britain in 1990 when mushroom crops began expressing symptoms resembling a virus infection. But established techniques used previously to detect the La France virus were unable to detect a virus responsible for the novel infection, leading researchers to investigate other causes.
Its an ill wind that blows - the impact of dust on disease management
Dust is not just the soil that gets blown around the farm from beyond the boundary fence; the exact composition of the dust is a reflection of past disease outbreaks on the farm and is an important but often overlooked aspect of disease management. This article examines dust, where it comes from, how it can affect your operation and ways of minimising its impact.
This article was originally produced for the Australian Mushrooms Journal 2021 Issue 4
Mushroom Production Waste Streams - Novel Approaches to Management and Value Creation
Dr Scott Needham, TGD Managing Director, acted as the project lead for the mushroom waste streams project and has over 25 years’ experience in performing and managing R&D and commercialising early stage scientific discoveries. During the past decade, Scott was Global Head of Investment Strategy for the US-based Intellectual Ventures’ Invention Development Fund (IDF), where he was responsible for a USD200m investment in early stage innovations.
Previously Head of Xinova Australia, a US-based innovation platform company that managed over 12,000 innovators, Scott believes in the power of utilising the best talent from around the world on projects. Scott has worked extensively for some of the worlds best known corporate clients including Fujitsu, Pepsico, AMEX, DuPont, Facebook and Mars Wrigley.
Kyle Kessler, TGD Manager, was the project manager for the mushroom waste streams project. His work blends quantitative and qualitative approaches to design technologies and businesses, and strategies that are desirable and financially viable to clients and their stakeholders.
Kyle has worked on innovation, stakeholder engagement, and agtech commercialisation projects across sectors and regions - including Hort Innovation, Meat and Livestock Australia, Dairy Australia, CSIRO, United States Department of Defence and private sector clients in the fast moving consumer goods and mining sectors.
Details:
Teaming up with Hort Innovation and Australian mushroom growers, Scott and Kyle explored commercially viable approaches to utilising spent mushroom compost or edible mushroom waste either to reduce costs or increase revenue for mushroom growers in Australia.
Using trials, new business models, open-innovation and design thinking, they developed and tested new strategies for reducing waste, increasing revenue, and cutting costs for growers.
During this presentation, Scott and Kyle will summarise how, working hand-in-hand with mushroom growers, they unearthed new opportunities to increase the value of mushroom waste, including:
Eight potential solutions that were assessed against the business needs of mushrooms growers
Four recommended solutions for further investigation
How they collaborated to develop business models to better understand costs and revenue opportunities for potential solutions
Research into current and emerging technologies from around the world.
Managing COVID-19 related risks in mushroom businesses
We are all fed up with Covid-19 dominating our lives - the serious impacts of a deadly disease and the extreme difficulties of producing and selling a rapidly growing and fragile crop when the rules change daily, state borders can snap shut any time and a single positive case in the workplace can potentially cost a business thousands of dollars.
With vaccines, we can now see some light at the end of our 19-month-long tunnel. But, how can businesses manage this new landscape? What ‘carrots’ are most effective and what ‘sticks’ can legally be used?
Join us to learn how businesses can navigate this rapidly changing and challenging environment, minimising risk to both employee health and economic viability.
Rhys Ryan: Rhys is Managing Director of Porter Novelli Australia, and leads the firm’s work in helping clients build corporate reputation.
Following an early stint as a broadcast journalist, Rhys moved into strategic communications and has developed expertise in financial services, agribusiness, retail and primary production.
He has spent significant time in the United States over the past 20 years, where he led multi-country reputation programs for global corporations and technology start-ups in New York and San Francisco.
In recent years, Rhys has led campaigns and corporate reputation programs on behalf of including Dow Chemical, the Mortgage & Finance Association of Australia, Mars, Bendigo Bank, PepsiCo, McCain Foods, Kimberly-Clark and various state and Commonwealth Government Departments.
Andrew Brooks: Andrew is an experienced employment lawyer and advisor to fast growth businesses, not-for-profits and agricultural clients of Law Squared.
Andrew is committed to helping employers and their management team deal with daily staff issues and complex legal problems as they arise during the employment life cycle: hiring, managing and firing. Andrew continues to work heavily in the agricultural sector and has been directly assisting clients navigate the world of COVID-19 vaccines in these workplaces.
The webinar is brought to you by the Mushroom industry crisis and reputation risk management project (MU20006) which is funded through the mushroom levy and contributions from the Australian government.
Peak fly season is nearly upon us - are you ready?
With the arrival of spring and, as the sap rises, thoughts turn to what the upcoming summer and autumn will bring.
Unfortunately, hot on the heels of Santa and his elves will come the peak fly season. Summer is also the time that farms experience disruptions to routines and rostering as many farm staff take holiday leave.
During this time, it is often difficult to allocate sufficient resources to perform mundane but crucial tasks such as pest and disease monitoring and spot treatments.
This article was originally produced for the Australian Mushrooms journal 2020 Issue 3
What's happening with mushrooms in China?
Join Dr Chen Liangcheng, from Sylvan International Biotechnology Co., Ltd. China division, to discover the answer.
It is said that the mushroom industry is divided between two worlds - China and the rest of the world. It is because the mushroom industry in China is unique in its size, history, research and development.
China is the largest producer and consumer of mushrooms in the world and, similar to the mushroom industry in the West, is undergoing a period of consolidation, with many new and modern farms emerging while traditional farms are receding.
The mushroom industry in China has involved many people from different backgrounds, and these people might begin to play a more important role in the international mushroom community.
There are many varieties of mushrooms in China that consumers have enjoyed for a long time and the way mushrooms are prepared and marketed in China will be interesting for us to discover in Dr Chen’s presentation.
Dr Chen Liangcheng
Born in Fujian, China, LC Chen started his mushroom career with Sylvan in 1996 as the representative to China, being responsible for developing the Chinese market and introducing western cultivation technology to China. He gained experience in the cultivation of button mushrooms, enoki and king oyster, among others.
Chen obtained his doctorate in agronomy, majoring in mushrooms, at Jilin Agricultural University under the guidance of Prof. Li Yu, an academician of engineering in China. He developed optimised cultivation conditions for Flammulina velutipes in bags and feed additives from mushrooms for enhancing animal immunity in his research.
Being in the mushroom industry for over 25 years, and knowing what is going on in the industry in both China and abroad, Chen has been invited to speak on the development of the Chinese mushroom industry at conferences around the world.
Currently, Chen works as the Deputy General Manager of Sylvan China, in charge of R&D as well as spawn production.
Internal Stipe Necrosis
Internal Stipe Necrosis was recognised in the late 1980s and early 1990s as a significant emerging threat to the United Kingdom mushroom industry.
With the A. bisporus wholesale market at the time valued at around £250 million, losses of up to 10% were reported by some United Kingdom mushroom producers with one grower estimating the incidence of Internal Stipe Necrosis on his farm totalled 0.3% of mushrooms harvested at the button stage and 5.6% of mushrooms harvested at the open, flat cap stage.
Internal Stipe Necrosis has been observed sporadically on Australian mushroom farms over the past 10 years or so and its appearance is consistent with the widespread adoption of wetter and heavier black peat as a significant component of mushroom casing.
The disorder expresses as an unsightly browning and necrosis of internal stipe tissue which cannot be detected before harvest, resulting in significant loss of quality.
Mushrooms for healthy diets – what’s new with with nutritionist and dietitian Dr Flavia Fayet-Moore
Dr Flavia Fayet-Moore is a registered nutritionist, Accredited Practising Dietitian, board-certified Lifestyle Medicine Professional, and Honorary Associate of the University of Sydney. Flavia graduated from the University of Toronto with an Honours Bachelor of Science in Nutritional Sciences and obtained both her Master of Nutrition and Dietetics and PhD in nutrition from the University of Sydney.
Since completing her PhD, Flavia has focused her research and advocacy work on nutritional epidemiology, micronutrients, and bioactives; she used her findings to promote a food-first approach to address public health’s biggest problems, including Vitamin D deficiency, anaemia, and chronic disease.
Flavia is passionate about improving the health of Australians, especially among children and adolescents, through research and its translation. She is a member of the Nutrition Society of Australia, the Dietitian’s Association of Australia, and is a founding board member and fellow of the Australasian Society of Lifestyle Medicine.
The presentation includes:
Overview of medicinal use of mushrooms - for the immune system, as an antibiotic, in healing wounds and for mental health
Health effects in humans - what’s the evidence?
What is unique in mushrooms that’s relevant and what it means - Ergosterol (and vitamin D), Chitin (prebiotic fibre), Ergothioneine
Health effects with a focus on three - Vitamin D status, gut health and cancer
Where do mushrooms fit within current recommendations?