Enzymatic Preparation of Mushroom By-product Protein Hydrolysates (Mb-PPHs)

The excessive use of chemical fertilizers can cause severe environmental damage. In recent decades, the application of biostimulants to improve soil composition and stimulate plant growth has contributed significantly to environmental preservation. In this paper, we studied the production and characterization of an amino acid/peptide-enriched biostimulant using edible mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) by-products (tails and nonmarketable mushrooms) as raw materials and commercial proteases as hydrolytic agents. A single hydrolytic process using four different endoproteases, Alcalase®, L-450, Flavourzyme® or papain, and a sequential hydrolytic process using two proteases, an endoprotease and an exoprotease, Alcalase® + Flavourzyme® or L-450 + Flavourzyme), were conducted. A preevaluation of potential plant biostimulants was also carried out, testing the biostimulant capacity of single and sequential Mb-PPHs to stimulate maize seed germination and root growth, as well as the evaluation of the vigor index (VI), with very promising results.