Cantharellus guyanensis (Basidiomycota, Hydnaceae): A Gourmet Mushroom in the Brazilian Cerrado

Abstract

Cantharellus is an important genus of edible fungi with a worldwide distribution, whose species are recognized for their exceptional taste, beauty, and unique texture. Species of Cantharellus are terrestrial ectomycorrhizal fungi valued for their nutritional and medicinal properties, with demonstrated therapeutic potential due to their anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antigenotoxic activities. Cantharellus guyanensis , originally described in 1854 from French Guiana, grows on soil and is currently known from restricted areas in South America, including the Amazon and Atlantic forests in Brazil. Appreciated in gourmet cuisine, C. guyanensis is reported here for the first time in the Cerrado biome. The species was confirmed through morphological and phylogenetic analysis (ITS, LSU and TEF1-α genetic markers), and the voucher is deposited in the fungaria of the Universidade Estadual de Goiás (HUEG-Fungi) and Universidade Federal da Paraíba (JPB). Its nutritional potential determined by bromatological analysis revealed good storage stability, maintaining its high concentration of general digestible nutrients and low lipid contents. This record expands knowledge about the distribution of the genus among Brazilian biomes and reveals an excellent alternative food resource for the Cerrado.

Bibliographic Information