Overview of the Chinese edible fungi industry of and developing trends analysis

Edible fungi possess high nutritional and medicinal values, and are playing an increasingly important role in promoting human health worldwide. Since 2000, China has become the world's largest producer and consumer of edible fungi. Based on comprehensive data on the edible fungi industry in China since 2014, as well as related scientific literature, we present an overview of the edible fungi industry in China in the recent decade and analyze developing trends. In recent years, the rapid development of cultivation and breeding technologies has driven high output and quality production of edible fungi. According to the data from the China Edible Fungi Association and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the total edible fungi production value in China increased from 225.81 billion RMB (33.95 billion USD) in 2014 to 388.72 billion RMB (47.17 billion USD) in 2022, and the global mushroom market size is 53.94 billion USD in 2022, thus the Chinese mushroom market accounting for 87.45% of the global annual production value. Our linear regression analysis predicts that this trend will continue, and China’s edible fungi production value is expected to increase to 527.39 billion RMB by 2030. These developments position edible fungi as a strategic component for global food security and climate-resilient agriculture, given their efficient resource utilization and adaptability. In China numerous species have been successfully domesticated with widespread cultivation, 24 species with rapidly expanding production since 2014 are introduced, including Auricularia spp., Coprinus comatus, Cordyceps militaris, Cyclocybe cylindracea complex, Ophiocordyceps sinensis, Ganoderma spp., Grifola frondosa, Hericium spp., Hymenopellis raphanipes, Lentinula edodes, Lyophyllum decastes, Morchella spp., Naematelia aurantialba complex, Phallus spp., Phlebopus portentosus, Pholiota microspora, Pleurotus spp., Sanghuangporus spp., Schizophyllum commune, Sparassis latifolia, Stropharia rugosoannulata, Tremella fuciformis, Volvariella volvacea and Wolfiporia hoelen. The various cultivated species and geographical conditions make the production model of edible fungi highly diversified. This has resulted in the transition from scattered household cultivation to cooperative production involving "Company + Farmer" coupled with the development of large-scale industrialized cultivation. Parallel advancements in processing technologies have been evident, as evidenced by the proliferation of commercial products; processed mushroom products have become increasingly common in the market. Bibliometric analysis of recent research (2014-2023) reveals accelerated innovation of edible fungi in four domains: genetic breeding, cultivation technology, bioactive components, and processing. A shift of the global innovation centre for edible fungi towards China is evident.