Abstract
Erythritol is the only sugar alcohol which can be used as non-calorie sweetener among food materials. The used-erythritol-producing -yeast (UEPY), a by-product in erythritol production, was examined as a supplement for Pleurotus ostreatus cultivation. It was shown that: 1. When UEPY was substituted with 25%〜75% of rice bran in dry weight basis, fruit body yields increased 27%〜44 % as compared with that in the medium using with a single use of rice bran. 2. In the case that only UEPY was used as a replacement of rice bran as only nutrient component, the mycelia of P. ostreatus could grow, but fruiting did not occur. 3. The supply of additional N and C sources, the amounts of which were calculated from the difference in the contents between UEPY and rice bran media, could not increase the fruit body yield with UEPY. 4. When K, Mg or P was added into the UEPY media, fruit bodies appeared. It was suggested that the insufficient K content in UEPY might lead the failure of fruit body production in the UEPY medium. The supplementation of KCl into the UEPY medium the most effectively increased the fruit body yield. 5. It was also suggested that the fungus required the different doses of mineral elements for supporting mycelial growth and fruiting.
