Recently, the cultivation of hazel is undergoing a large expansion. Italy is the world’s second largest producer of hazelnuts, with a production of around 98,530 tons in 2019. The processing of hazelnuts produces large amounts of waste, especially woody pericarps, due to the cracking process, generally used for domestic heating, causing air pollution. The high lignin content present in the pericarps makes them a suitable substrate for the cultivation of edible and medicinal mushrooms. To this aim, Ganoderma lucidum, Lentinula edodes, and Pleurotus cornucopiae were grown and cultivated on different hazelnut-shell-based substrates: Hazelnut Shell (HS), Hazelnut Shell and Wheat Straw (HS-WS), and Wheat Straw mixed with Beech Chips (WS-BC) as control. In vitro mycelial grow rate, the degradation capacity of the lignocellulosic fraction, the biological efficiency, and the qualitative differences between mushrooms growing on different substrates by using Attenuated Total Reflectance–Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy were investigated. Our results suggested the ability of G. lucidum, L. edodes, and P. cornucopiae to grow and decay the lignocellulosic fraction of HS. Cultivation trials showed a similar biological efficiency but a different Fruiting Body Production (FBP) in the presence of HS with respect to the control. ATR-FTIR analysis provided a chemical insight for the examined fruiting bodies, and differences were found among the substrates studied. These results provide attractive perspectives both for more sustainable management and for the improvement of mushroom cultivation efficiency.

Tuber magnatum produces the world's most expensive truffle. This fungus produces very rare ectomycorrhizas which are difficult or even impossible to detect in the field. A “real-time” PCR assay was recently developed to quantify and to track T. magnatum mycelium in soil. Here, this technique was used to investigate the spatial distribution of T. magnatum extra-radical mycelium in soil productive patches and its dynamic across seasons. This study was carried out in four different natural T. magnatum truffle grounds located in different Italian regions. During the fruiting seasons, the amount of T. magnatum mycelium was significantly higher around the fruiting points and decreased going farther away from them. Moreover, T. magnatum mycelium inside the productive patches underwent seasonal fluctuations. In early spring, the amount of T. magnatum mycelium was significantly higher than in summer. In summer, probably due to the hot and dry season, T. magnatum mycelium significantly decreased, whereas in autumn it increased again and was concentrated at the putative fruiting points. These results give new insights on T. magnatum ecology and are useful to plan the most appropriate sampling strategy for evaluating the management of a truffle ground.

In recent years, fungi have been recognized as producers of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitors, agents important for the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). This study aimed to examine the AChE inhibitory, the antioxidative and antibacterial activity of two different Schizophyllum commune strains that originated from Serbia (SRB) and Italy (IT). Submerged cultivation of grown mycelia (M) and fermentation broth (F) of ethanol (EtOH) and polysaccharide (PSH) extracts lasted for 7, 14, 21 and 28 days. For AChE activity Ellman method was performed, while for antioxidative activity, sevendifferent assays were conducted: DPPH, ABTS, FRAP, SOA, OH, NO together with total phenolic content. Antimicrobial screen, LC–MS/MS technique and FTIR measurements were performed. Different isolates exhibited different AChE activity, with PSH being the strongest (SRB, M, 28 days IC₉₀ 79.73 ± 26.34 µg/mL), while in EtOH extracts, IT stood out (F, 14 days, IC₅₀ 0.8 ± 0.6 µg/mL). PSH extracts (7 days) exhibit significant antioxidative activity (AO), opposite to EtOH extracts where 14 and 21days periods stood out. Only tw extracts showed antibacterial activity. Following LC–MS/MS analysis p-hydroxybenzoic and gallic acids were the most abundant phenolics. PSH extracts demonstrated remarkable results, making this study debut and introducing S. commune as a valuable resource of AChE inhibitors.

Hypogeous fungi are common in arid and semi-arid areas of the Mediterranean basin and, in particular, they are found in Italy, Spain, northern African countries (especially in Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia), and in the Middle East. These fungi and, in particular, some species belonging to the genus Tuber and the desert truffles (Terfezia spp. and Tirmania spp.) form ascomata of considerable economic value. In this review, a panorama of hypogeous fungal diversity and information on their ecology in Mediterranean arid and semi-arid ecosystems have been reported; their economical importance and cultivation potential are also underlined.