Shimeji

Mushroom

Japanese popular mushrooms, clockwise from left, enokitake, buna-shimeji, bunapi-shimeji, king oyster mushroom and shiitake (front). Lyophyllum shimeji Bunapi (developed by Hokuto Corporation)

Shimeji (Japanese: シメジ, 占地 or 湿地) is a group of edible mushrooms native to East Asia, but also found in northern Europe.[1] Hon-shimeji (Lyophyllum shimeji) is a mycorrhizal fungus and difficult to cultivate. Other species are saprotrophs, and buna-shimeji (Hypsizygus tessulatus) is now widely cultivated. Shimeji is rich in umami-tasting compounds such as guanylic acid, glutamic acid, and aspartic acid.[2]

## Species

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Several species are sold as shimeji mushrooms. All are saprotrophic except Lyophyllum shimeji.[citation needed]

### Mycorrhizal

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* Hon-shimeji (ホンシメジ), Lyophyllum shimeji

The cultivation methods have been patented by several groups, such as Takara Bio[3][4] and Yamasa,[5][6] and the cultivated hon-shimeji is available from several manufacturers in Japan.[7][8][9]

### Saprotrophic

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* Buna-shimeji (ブナシメジ, lit. beech shimeji), Hypsizygus tessulatus, also known in English as the brown beech or brown clamshell mushroom.[citation needed]

Hypsizygus marmoreus is a synonym of Hypsizygus tessulatus. Cultivation of Buna-shimeji was first patented by Takara Shuzo Co., Ltd. in 1972 as hon-shimeji and the production started in 1973 in Japan.[10] Now, several breeds are widely cultivated and sold fresh in markets.[citation needed]
* Bunapi-shimeji (ブナピー), known in English as the white beech or white clamshell mushroom.[citation needed]

Bunapi was selected from UV-irradiated buna-shimeji ('hokuto #8' x 'hokuto #12') and the breed was registered as 'hokuto shiro #1' by Hokuto Corporation.[11][12]
* Hatake-shimeji (ハタケシメジ), Lyophyllum decastes.[citation needed]
* Shirotamogidake (シロタモギダケ), Hypsizygus ulmarius.[citation needed]

These two species had been also sold as hon-shimeji.[citation needed]
* Velvet pioppino (alias velvet pioppini, black poplar mushroom, Chinese: 茶樹菇/茶树菇), Agrocybe aegerita.[citation needed]

## Shimeji health benefits

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Shimeji mushrooms contain minerals like potassium and phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, and copper. Shimeji mushrooms lower the cholesterol level of the body.[13] This mushroom is rich in glycoprotein (HM-3A), marmorin, beta-(1-3)-glucan, hypsiziprenol, and hypsin therefore is a potential natural anticancer agent.[14][15] Shimeji mushrooms contain angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor which is an oligopeptide that may be helpful in lowering blood pressure and reducing the risk of stroke in persons having hypertension.[16] Also rich in polysaccharides, phenolic compounds, and flavonoids. Therefore, inhibits inflammatory cytokines and oxidative stress and protects from lung failure.[17] These compounds also help in reducing oxidative stress-mediated disease through radical scavenging activity hence these mushrooms are antioxidants also.[18]

## Culinary Use

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Shimeji should always be cooked: it is not a good mushroom to serve raw due to a somewhat bitter taste, but the bitterness disappears completely upon cooking. The cooked mushroom has a pleasant, firm, slightly crunchy texture and a slightly nutty flavor. Cooking also makes this mushroom easier to digest. It works well in stir-fried foods like stir-fried vegetables, as well as with wild game or seafood.[19] Also, it can be used in soups, stews, and in sauces. When cooked alone, Shimeji mushrooms can be sautéed whole, including the stem or stalk (only the very end cut off), using a higher temperature or they can be slow roasted at a low temperature with a small amount of butter or cooking oil. Shimeji is used in soups, nabe and takikomi gohan.[citation needed]

## See also

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* Fungi portal

* List of Japanese ingredients

## References

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1. ^ "Japanischer Gourmetpilz wächst auch in Schweden" [Japanese gourmet mushroom also grows in Sweden] (in German). Retrieved June 30, 2010.
2. ^ "日本人はキノコが大好き" [Japanese people love mushrooms]. なでしこ通信. Hyoeiオリジナルコラム (in Japanese). Hyogo NCC College. Archived from the original on 2007-12-13.
3. ^ "METHOD FOR ARTIFICIALLY CULTURING LYOPHYLLUM SHIMEJI], TAKARA AGURI KK, JP2001120059". European Patent Office.
4. ^ "ARTIFICIAL CULTIVATION METHOD OF LYOPHYLLUM SHIMEJI], TAKARA BIO INC, JP2007143565". European Patent Office.
5. ^ "NEW STRAIN OF LYOPHYLLUM SHIMEJI AND USE OF THE SAME, YAMASA SHOYU KK, JP2006271234". European Patent Office.
6. ^ "METHOD FOR ARTIFICIALLY CULTURING LYOPHYLLUM SHIMEJI AND CULTURE MEDIUM, Yamasa Shoyu KK, JP2007054044". European Patent Office.
7. ^ "雪国本しめじ". Yukiguni Maitake Co., Ltd (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2007-12-15.
8. ^ "ヤマサほんしめじ". Yamasa Corporation (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2007-12-24.
9. ^ ホンシメジ Lyophyllum shimeji — ホンシメジの新品種開発 — Hon Shimej — New Cultivar Development. Hokuto Corporation. Retrieved 2022-02-05.
10. ^ "Hypsizigus marmoreus \- 長期利用微生物参考データ（食品工業利用微生物）" (PDF). Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Japan (in Japanese). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2005-11-06.
11. ^ "Bunashimeji and Bunapi". Hokuto Corporation. Archived from the original on 2007-12-16.
12. ^ "ホクト白１号菌 (第13294号), Plant Variety Protection". Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (Japan) (in Japanese).[permanent dead link]
13. ^ Idler, D. R.; Burton, M. P. (January 1976). "The pronephroi as the site of presumptive interrenal cells in the hagfish Myxine glutinosa L". Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology. A, Comparative Physiology. 53 (1): 73–77\. doi:10.1016/s0300-9629(76)80014-x. PMID 190.
14. ^ Tsai, Pei-Feng; Ma, Chia-Yu (December 2013). "Effect of a glycoprotein from mushroom Hypsizygus marmoreus (Peck) Bigelow on growth and differentiation of human leukemic U937 cells". Food and Chemical Toxicology. 62: 782–785\. doi:10.1016/j.fct.2013.10.012. PMID 24140968.
15. ^ Ikekawa, T.; Saitoh, H.; Feng, W.; Zhang, H.; Li, L.; Matsuzawa, T. (July 1992). "Antitumor activity of Hypsizigus marmoreus. I. Antitumor activity of extracts and polysaccharides". Chemical & Pharmaceutical Bulletin. 40 (7): 1954–1957\. doi:10.1248/cpb.40.1954. PMID 1394718.
16. ^ Kang, Min-Gu; Kim, Young-Hun; Bolormaa, Zanabaatar; Kim, Min-Kyung; Seo, Geon-Sik; Lee, Jong-Soo (2013). "Characterization of an antihypertensive angiotensin I-converting enzyme inhibitory peptide from the edible mushroom Hypsizygus marmoreus". BioMed Research International. 2013: 283964. doi:10.1155/2013/283964. PMC 3860087. PMID 24380081.
17. ^ Liu, Min; Li, Shangshang; Wang, Xiuxiu; Zhu, Yongfa; Zhang, Jianjun; Liu, Hui; Jia, Le (May 2018). "Characterization, anti-oxidation and anti-inflammation of polysaccharides by Hypsizygus marmoreus against LPS-induced toxicity on lung". International Journal of Biological Macromolecules. 111: 121–128\. doi:10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2018.01.010. PMID 29307806.
18. ^ Chowdhury, Mohammed Mehadi Hassan; Kubra, Khadizatul; Ahmed, Sheikh Rashel (7 February 2015). "Screening of antimicrobial, antioxidant properties and bioactive compounds of some edible mushrooms cultivated in Bangladesh". Annals of Clinical Microbiology and Antimicrobials. 14: 8. doi:10.1186/s12941-015-0067-3. PMC 4328533. PMID 25858107.
19. ^ Baghel, Dr Sapna (July 19, 2019). "Shimeji mushroom benefits and side effects".

## External links

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Shimeji.

* Honshimeji Mushroom, RecipeTips.com. Brown Beech (Buna shimeji), White Beech (Bunapi shimeji), and the Pioppino (Agrocybe aegerita) mushrooms.