Edible mushrooms are considered an important source of nutritional and bioactive compounds. In this review, the findings of macronutrients, bioactive compounds, antioxidant activity, and antimicrobials against foodborne pathogens of some Pleurotus spp., as well as their potential use as an ingredient in the meat industry are discussed. The results show that Pleurotus spp. are an important source of proteins and amino acids, carbohydrates, minerals, and vitamins. Additionally, the presence of some bioactive components, such as polysaccharides (α-glucans, β-glucans, and so on), proteins/enzymes and peptides (eryngin, pleurostrin, and others) phenolic acids (p-coumaric, chlorogenic, cinnamic, ferulic, gallic, protocatechuic, and others) and flavonoids (chrysin, naringenin, myricetin, quercetin, rutin, or the like) has been demonstrated. Several works evidenced the use of Pleurotus spp. in some meat and meat products (patties, sausages, paste, and suchlike) as a novel ingredient in order to improve their chemical composition and functional health promoting properties, as well as to increase their physicochemical and sensory attributes. In conclusion, the use of Pleurotus is a promissory strategy for the development of natural additives rich in nutritional and bioactive components for meat and meat product formulation.

Plants response to symbiosis with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) under water stress is important to agriculture. Under abiotic stress conditions native fungi are more effective than exotics in improving plant growth and water status. Mycorrhization efficiency is related to soil fungi development and energy cost-benefit ratio. In this study, we assessed the effect on growth, water status and energy metabolism of Cucurbita pepo var. pepo when inoculated with native AMF from the Sonoran desert Mexico (mixed isolate and field consortium), and compared with an exotic species from a temperate region, under drought, low and high salinity conditions. Dry weights, leaf water content, water and osmotic potentials, construction costs, photochemistry and mycorrhization features were quantified. Under drought and low salinity conditions, the mixed isolate increased plant growth and leaf water content. Leaf water potential was increased only by the field consortium under drought conditions (0.5-0.9MPa). Under high salinity, the field consortium increased aerial dry weight (more than 1g) and osmotic potential (0.54MPa), as compared to non-mycorrhized controls. Plants inoculated with native AMF, which supposedly diminish the effects of stress, exhibited low construction costs, increased photochemical capacity, and grew larger external mycelia in comparison to the exotic inoculum.

The content of antioxidant compounds varies within fungal species, and the Polyporales order has been recognized for this property. Numerous antioxidant compounds have been identified in Polyporales fungi, including phenolic compounds, β-glucans, ergosterol, ergothioneine, vitamin C, and tocopherols. Each compound contributes differently to the antioxidant potential of fungi. Besides the health benefits for rural communities caused by fungi consumption, their antioxidant composition attracts the food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries’ interest. In this context, the present review compiles, analyzes, and discusses the bioactive composition of edible fungi of the Polyporales order and its contribution to total antioxidant capacity.

Agave angustifolia Haw. se ha utilizado de manera tradicional en Sonora, para la elaboración de la bebida espirituosa bacanora. Como consecuencia de la legalización de este destilado, las poblaciones silvestres están amenazadas por el sobreaprovechamiento. Para coadyuvar en esta problemática el objetivo del presente estudio fue evaluar el comportamiento de vitroplantas de A. angustifolia durante su aclimatación en diferentes sustratos y el trasplante bajo condiciones silvestres. Se evaluaron cuatro líneas clonales (LC15s, LC26s, LC23b y LC24b) en cuatro sustratos (testigo: arena, ‘tierra lama’ y gravilla (3:1:1); tratamiento I: turba: mezcla testigo (1:1); tratamiento II: tierra de maceta: mezcla testigo (1:1) y tratamiento III: turba: tierra de maceta: mezcla testigo (1:1:1). El sitio de trasplante se caracterizó mediante análisis de vegetación y físico y químico de suelo in situ, mientras que el climático con cartografía. Estas características bióticas y abióticas definieron el trasplante de 1 000 vitroplantas, 250 por clona, en tres secciones de una ladera con matorral subtropical. Se monitoreó altura, número de hojas y cobertura de los agaves en un periodo de 66 semanas. Después de 60 d se logró la aclimatación de las vitroplantas con un 100% de supervivencia en todos los tratamientos. El sustrato con mayor contenido de materia orgánica favoreció el enraizamiento y crecimiento radicular. El trasplante alcanzó una supervivencia del 84 a 98%, bajo condiciones silvestres con un manejo orgánico. La respuesta de las líneas clonales fue disímil durante la aclimatación y el trasplante. Las etapas del proyecto se desarrollaron entre 2009 y 2016.

The diversity of functional traits still has not been studied enough in model plant species, even less so in little known species. This experiment was carried out under the extreme heat of Sonoran Desert, using shading nets and under conditions where the availability of water and nutrients was not a stress factor. We evaluated how the low, intermediate, and high sunlight regimes, impact survival and promote multiple alterations on phenological and ecophysiological response of cultivated Capsicum annuum var. glabriusculum plants. Extremely warm temperatures promoted a high heat sum in degrees days throughout plants development. Most plants grown in high sunlight regimes did not survive; under intermediate sunlight regimes survival was high and plants developed vegetative and reproductively; but under low sunlight regimes plants survival was high, however, they developed just vegetatively. Photosynthetic response to light suggests that plants are physiologically acclimated to low and intermediate irradiance, whereas the CO₂ assimilation curves suggests contrasting photosynthetic capacity traits. Under the intermediate sunlight regimes, plants strengthened their performance through multiple functional traits (e.g. CO₂ and water diffusion traits, photosynthetic capacity, respiration, among others). Consequently, their biomass gain was faster and proportionally higher by 76% with an investment of 14% in fruits development. The principal components analysis extracted the main explanatory functional traits: specific leaf area, stomatal limitation, mesophyll conductance, Rubisco maximum carboxylation velocity, among others. In conclusion, phenological response and multiple functional traits determine plants acclimation to sunlight regimes and extremely warm temperatures in short term.