Research Keyword: biomaterial

From Nature to Design: Tailoring Pure Mycelial Materials for the Needs of Tomorrow

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Scientists are developing new materials made from mushroom mycelium that could replace leather, foam, and plastic products. These fungal-based materials grow on simple agricultural waste, are completely biodegradable, and have a much smaller environmental footprint than traditional materials. Companies like MycoWorks are already producing mycelium leather for major fashion brands, showing this technology is moving from laboratories into real products.

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Turning the Cocopith Waste into Myceliated Biocomposite to Make an Insulator

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Researchers developed an environmentally-friendly insulation material by growing mushroom mycelium (Ganoderma lucidum) on cocopith, a waste product from coconut fiber processing. The resulting biocomposite has thermal insulation properties comparable to commercial insulators like Styrofoam and polyurethane, but is completely biodegradable and made from agricultural waste. This innovation addresses waste management problems while creating a sustainable material for thermal insulation in buildings, food processing, and industrial equipment.

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Phlebiopsis friesii (Phanerochaetaceae, Polyporales), a New Record in Thailand and the First Preliminary Characterization of Its Potential in Mycelium Mats

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Researchers in Thailand discovered a mushroom species called Phlebiopsis friesii and found it could be used to create a sustainable leather alternative. By growing the mushroom mycelium (the thread-like root structure) in different nutrient broths and treating it with special chemicals, scientists created flexible, leather-like mats that could replace animal leather in fashion and manufacturing. This discovery offers an eco-friendly solution to reduce the environmental damage caused by traditional leather production.

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Esterase and Peroxidase Are Involved in the Transformation of Chitosan Films by the Fungus Fusarium oxysporum Schltdl. IBPPM 543

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Scientists discovered that a common fungus called Fusarium oxysporum can modify chitosan films (made from a natural polymer related to shellfish shells) without destroying them. The fungus produces special enzymes that change the structure of the films, making them stronger and less soluble in acidic solutions. These modified films could be useful for creating new medical devices, drug carriers, and other materials.

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Quantification of fungal biomass in mycelium composites made from diverse biogenic side streams

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Scientists have developed a new method to measure how much fungal material is actually in mushroom-based composites, which are sustainable alternatives to plastics. By extracting and analyzing fungal DNA, they found that different mushroom species require different amounts of fungal growth to create stable materials, and the type of waste material used also matters significantly. This research helps manufacturers optimize production of these eco-friendly composites while also showing that various agricultural and industrial waste streams can be successfully converted into useful materials.

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Anisotropic Growth of Filamentous Fungi in Wood Hydrogel Composites Increases Mechanical Properties

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Researchers created strong, eco-friendly composite materials by growing fungi inside delignified wood. The fungi naturally aligned with the wood fiber structure, which significantly strengthened the resulting material. By adjusting the type of wood, fungal species, and nutrient content, scientists could fine-tune the material properties. These sustainable composites show promise for use in building materials and packaging applications.

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Strongest untreated mycelium materials produced by Schizophyllum commune dikaryons

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Scientists have developed a new method to produce exceptionally strong mushroom-based materials by using dikaryotic strains of Schizophyllum commune instead of monokaryotic strains. These new materials achieved record-breaking strength of 47 MPa, making them stronger than existing mycelium materials while maintaining flexibility. The enhanced strength comes from differences in cell wall composition and lower expression of a specific gene that normally affects material density. This breakthrough could lead to improved fungal-based alternatives for leather and textiles.

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