ABSTRACT

This study examined the level of minerals (zinc, iron, selenium) in Pleurotus ostreatus mushroom. The mushroom was cultivated with palm bunch collected from Umuyota and Ubani in Abia state, Nigeria. The substrate for cultivation was prepared with dry palm oil bunch, 1kg of each substrate in percentage HC1 was made into five replications of 200g each, including control in each. The results for Zinc shows the extract at 0.3% HC1 (166.63+1.28) 0.4%HC1 (169.10±1.44) and 0.5%HC1 (181.0 6± 2.11) shows a significant increase (p> 0.05) when compared against the control (154.79±1.21). Also 0.2% HC1 (159.00±1.44) shows no significant (p >0.05) increase when compared against the control while 0.1% HC1 (150.96 ± 3.55) shows no significant (p >0.05) decrease when compared against control. The result for iron shows the level for extract at 0.2% HC1 (176.70 ± 3.20) shows no significant (p<O.05) increase when compared against control where as 0.l%Hcl (197.00±2.01), 0.3% HCl (191.23 ± 4.47), 0.4% HCl (184.70 ± 0.62), 0.5% HCl (194.30 ± 1.01) shows a significant increase (p>0.05) when compared against the control (167.43 ±2.11). The level of selenium at 0.5% HC1 (0.94 ± 0.01) shows no significant (p>O.05) increase when compared against the control where as 0.1% HC1 (0 .84 ± 0.00), 0.2% ( 0.85 ± 0.01), 0.3%HC1 ( 0.81 ± 0.01), 0.4% HC1 (0.84 ± 0.01) shows no significant increase (p>O.OS) when compared against the control.The result suggest that Pleurotus ostreatus soaked in HC1 can be a rich source of zinc, selenium, iron which are of good biological significance.