Protein will be produced via mushroom cultivation. Lipids, antioxidants, and other high-added value products will be produced by upgrading spent mushroom substrate (SMS). Green-extraction methods, enzymatic saccharification, and cultivation of oleaginous yeasts will be used for upgrading SMS.
The project is coordinated by prof. Volkmar Passoth at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU). It is part of Formas program “Sustainable and resilient food in uncertain times”. The biorefinery group at Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences is responsible of two workpackages.
The project includes production of two types of edible mushrooms:
- Shiitake mushrooms (Lentinula edodes)
- Oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus spp.)
The substrates to be used for mushroom cultivation are based on forestry residues from different tree species, e.g., birch and alder, and straw from harvesting wheat, barley, and rye. Mushroom cultivation generates large amounts of SMS, whose disposal poses major economic and environmental concerns. Effective utilization of SMS is crucial for a sustainable mushroom industry.
Funding body
Formas – Swedish Research Council for Environment, Agricultural Sciences and Spatial Planning
Project structure
The work will be implemented in four workpackages (WP):
WP1: Mushroom growth on different substrates.
This WP will (i) explore a variety of substrates and fungal strains for maximum production of mushroom proteins, and (ii) optimize fungal protein production.
The WP is coordinated by assoc. prof. Shaojun Xiong at the Department of Forest Biomaterials and Technology, SLU (Umeå, Sweden)
WP2: Extraction of bioactive compounds from SMS
Bioactive compounds, such as polysaccharides, phenolic compounds, sterols, and proteins/polypeptides, will be extracted from SMS from the cultivations in WP1. Green-extraction methods, including hydrodynamic cavitation- and microwave radiation-assisted extraction, as well as subcritical water extraction, will be used. That will ensure effective recovery of molecules of bioactive interest.
The WP is coordinated by prof. Carlos Martín at the Department of Biotechnology, INN
WP3: Enzymatic saccharification of polysaccharides
Cellulose and hemicelluloses contained in the extract-free SMS (the residue from the extraction of bioactive compounds in WP2). The enzymatic convertibility of SMS from different sources will be assessed. An optimized protocol for preparative enzymatic saccharification of SMS will be developed.
The WP is coordinated by prof. Carlos Martín at the Department of Biotechnology, INN
WP4: Growth of oleaginous yeast on SMS hydrolysates
The yeast Rhodotorula babjevae will be cultivated in hydrolysates produced in WP3.
Small-scale batch cultivations and bioreactors under controlled conditions will be used. Lipid and carotenoid will be extracted from yeast biomass with supercritical CO2. Highly potent antioxidants like torularhodin and torulene and β-glucans will be extracted, EPS and glycolipids will be isolated from the medium. Some fermentations will be run in a larger scale to obtain material that can be tested as food ingredient.
The WP is coordinated by prof. Volkmar Passoth at the Department of Molecular Sciences, SLU
