Valuable meat substitute
Research and cultivation of mushrooms in Benin
mushrooms are literally everywhere. Yet only just under five percent of all mushroom species worldwide have been scientifically described. How a German-Beninese research team is discovering new mushroom species, describing locally known species scientifically for the first time and achieving initial breeding successes of valuable edible mushrooms, is reported in the current issue of the Goethe University science magazine "Forschung Frankfurt" on the topic of "Perspectives on Africa".
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Mushrooms contain a lot of protein, D vitamins, minerals and trace elements. This knows the mushroom researcher Professor Meike Piepenbring of the Goethe University. Together with her cooperation partner Prof. Nourou Yorou from the Université de Parakou in Benin, she has started a research project to scientifically record mushrooms in West Africa. Her goal is not only to break new scientific ground in the world of fungi and to extensively expand the species lists of mushrooms.
Because edible mushrooms are such high-quality foodstuffs and can serve as meat substitutes, the German-Beninese research team has set up a breeding program and already achieved initial successes. When the processes are fully developed and patented, local farmers will receive free licenses. "In this way, we want to promote the economic independence of women and young people in particular. Our goal is to reduce unemployment, food insecurity and extreme poverty in Benin's rural communities," Yorou reports in "Forschung Frankfurt."
Other articles in the current issue of "Forschung Frankfurt" include the role pigs' teeth played in the discovery of early human fossils in Malawi, how China and Africa are showing solidarity against the West, and why Nigeria's film market has become one of the largest in the world. Other contributions show how literary scholars in Zimbabwe are straightening out the official view of history, that Tunisia has tremendous economic innovative strength despite crises, and how German collections can cooperate with African partners to mutual benefit.
Note: This article has been translated using a computer system without human intervention. LUMITOS offers these automatic translations to present a wider range of current news. Since this article has been translated with automatic translation, it is possible that it contains errors in vocabulary, syntax or grammar. The original article in German can be found here.
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