Effect of Common Foods as Supplements for the Mycelium Growth of Ganoderma Lucidum and Pleurotus Ostreatus on Solid Substrates

Author: mycolabadmin
2021-11-30
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Summary

This research explored how adding common foods like barley can help grow fungal materials more effectively. These fungal materials could be used to make sustainable products like packaging and insulation. The study found that adding ground barley significantly improved fungal growth, offering a simple way to turn both food and agricultural waste into useful materials. Impacts on everyday life: • Provides a way to create eco-friendly packaging and building materials from waste • Offers a solution for reducing food waste by using it to grow useful materials • Enables local manufacturing of sustainable products without complex equipment or training • Helps reduce environmental impact by creating biodegradable alternatives to synthetic materials • Could lead to more affordable and locally-produced sustainable products

Background

The transition from a linear to circular economy is urgently needed to mitigate environmental impacts and loss of biodiversity. Mycelium-bound composites obtained from fungal growth on lignocellulosic substrates are promising natural materials that can be used for insulation, textiles, packaging and other applications. Food waste accounts for nearly 44% of total municipal solid waste, so incorporating food supplements in substrate composition could increase nutrients for fungal growth.

Objective

To study the effects of adding common food supplements (barley, oats, flaxseed) on the growth of two fungal species – Ganoderma lucidum and Pleurotus ostreatus – when grown on bamboo and wood chip substrates. The study aimed to characterize the substrates, food supplements and resulting mycelia using various analytical techniques.

Results

Addition of barley as a supplement significantly boosted mycelium growth for both fungal species, even without optimized growth conditions. Barley was most effective due to its smaller particle size and high carbohydrate content. The fungi showed different growth patterns – G. lucidum grew continuously while P. ostreatus growth peaked then declined when fruiting occurred. Food supplements affected mycelium morphology but not significantly its chemical composition.

Conclusion

Using common foods like barley as nutritious supplements is a simple and effective strategy to enhance mycelium growth on various substrates without requiring careful optimization of growth conditions. This approach can help valorize both food and green waste into useful materials while enabling local manufacturers to produce mycelium-based products without intensive training.

Published in:PLOS One,
Study Type:Laboratory Research,
Source: 10.1371/journal.pone.0260170