The elimination of antinutritional factors of the Jatropha curcas L. seed cake is important for decreasing
environmental damage and adding economic value to this residue of the biodiesel industry. In this study,
we analyzed the ability of Pleurotus ostreatus to degrade antinutritional factors and produce edible
mushrooms using different proportions of the J. curcas seed cake as substrate. After 60 d of incubation at
25 C, we observed 95% phytic acid and 85% tannins reductions, and high mushrooms productivity. There
was no evidence of tannins or phytic acid in these mushrooms. Furthermore, the phorbol ester
concentration observed in these mushrooms was around 1000-fold lower than that found in the nontoxic
variety of J. curcas. Thus, P. ostreatus can degrade the antinutritional factors found in J. curcas
seed cake. The jatropha seed cake can potentially be used for mushroom production, with high nutritional
value, and animal ration, after treated by P. ostreatus, adding economic value to the biodiesel
residue and avoiding inadequate disposal in the environment.