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.