1. Exploitation of coffee pulp in the cultivation of the edible mushroom Pleurotus sajor-caju; Pleurotus pulmonarius and Pleurotus ostreatus.

During the year 2000, with a very simple methodology, coffee pulp was used in 6 farms with a size no larger than 1 ha, for projects of food security with varieties of: Pleurotus sajor-caju, Pleurotus pulmonarius, Pleurotus ostreatus. The sole purpose was to improve the diet of small coffee growers and their families, and to assess household acceptance of mushrooms. The result obtained was a 95% acceptation level in consumers, 4 out of 6 growers achieved success in the cultivation.

2. Exploitation of coffee silver skin for the cultivation of the edible mushroom Pleurotus sajor-caju.

Based on the results obtained by Cenicafe at laboratory level, the edible mushroom Pleurotus sajor-caju was cultivated on a substrate based on coffee silver skin. This interesting experience was done on location at Barrio Galan in the city of Manizales. This investigation was done with a social project that clusters five head-of-family mothers. The project has been so successful that today the biological efficiencies recorded reach 60%.

3. Exploitation of the coffee-shrub stem for the production of the edible mushroom shii-take (Lentinula edodes), within the investigation “Cultivation of edible and medicinal mushrooms on agro-industrial residues of the coffee-growing region of Colombia”, it was found that the mushroom species known as shiitake was promising. The production in pioneer farms will be evaluated during this year in an agreement subscribed with Proexport in which its production costs and its possibilities for export will be made known. The technology developed at Cenicafe will be validated with the help of 12 coffee growing farms, in which production costs and mushroom quality will be determined. Moreover, alternative processes with European and North American technologies will be evaluated so that better systems of industrial production are achieved.

4. Exploitation of the stem of the coffee shrub for the cultivation of the medicinal mushrooms reishi and shimeji.  

Substrates obtained from the sawdust of the coffee shrub were evaluated for the cultivation potential of the medicinal mushrooms Ganoderma lucidum and Hypsizygus marmoreus. Encouraging results were obtained for reishi, while shimeji should be cultivated in zones with temperatures between 10-15 C with biological efficiencies between 18-20%.