Process and apparatus for growing mycelium sheets
Process for growing mycelium sheets. First, a substrate mixture is prepared in a mixer. Then the substrate mixture is applied as substrate layers on shelves of a rack in a cultivation room. The cultivation room is then closed and subsequently the substrate is pasteurized by injecting a pasteurizing medium, such as steam, into the closed cultivation room. In a next step, the substrate mixture is cooled and subsequently inoculated. During a growing step mycelium is allowed to grow on the inoculated substrate mixture. In a next harvesting step, the mycelium is separated from the substrate.
1 . A process for growing mycelium sheets in a cultivation room with an access port of the cultivation room closed during a growing step to control environmental conditions within the cultivation room so as to promote mycelium growth on top of a substrate without forming fruiting bodies, the process comprising:
a substrate mixture is prepared in a mixer;
the substrate mixture is then applied as separate substrate layers on shelves, the shelves being vertically spaced apart on a rack with space between shelves to allow access to each substrate layer;
the rack is located in a cultivation room;
in a next step, the access port of the cultivation room is closed with the shelves on the rack in the cultivation room so as to isolate an interior of the cultivation room from an environment outside the cultivation room, and subsequently the substrate mixture is pasteurized by injecting a pasteurizing medium into the interior of the closed cultivation room;
in a next step following pasteurization, the substrate mixture of each substrate layer is cooled and subsequently each substrate layer on each shelf of the rack of shelves is inoculated;
during a growing step the cultivation room is closed and mycelium is allowed to grow on the inoculated substrate mixture in the cultivation room where environmental conditions in the interior of the closed cultivation room are adjusted to promote mycelium growth on tops of the substrate layers on the shelves of the rack without fruiting bodies; and
in a next harvesting step, the mycelium is separated from the substrate mixture.
2 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein the CO2 concentration in the cultivation room during the growing step is at least 3 vol. % on total air volume, and the relative humidity is at least 40%, while the O2 concentration is below 20 vol. % on total air volume.
3 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein the substrate mixture is applied on the shelves using a head filling machine.
4 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein the pasteurizing medium is steam of at least 70° C.
5 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein the substrate mixture comprises lignocellulosic particulate material.
6 . The process according to claim 5 , wherein the lignocellulosic particulate material comprises saw dust.
7 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein the substrate mixture is inoculated using a distributor movable along one or more of the shelves of substrate mixture via a guide to distribute spawn over said bed of substrate mixture.
8 . The process according to claim 7 , wherein the spawn is a grain spawn or liquid spawn.
9 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein the mycelium is separated from the substrate before the cultivation room is emptied.
10 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein a porous foil is placed on top of the substrate layers before the growing step, and
wherein during the harvesting step the porous foil is removed from the substrate together with the mycelium.
11 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein a temperature of the substrate mixture is controlled independently from an air temperature at least during the growing step.
12 . The process according to claim 11 , wherein during the growing step the temperature of the substrate mixture is maintained at about 26-30° C., while the air temperature is the cultivation room is maintained at 20-35° C.
13 . The process according to claim 11 , wherein the temperature of the substrate mixture is controlled by substrate heat exchangers formed by the shelves, or by heat exchange plates on top of the shelves supporting the substrate layers.
14 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein after the harvesting step the mycelium comprise sheets and the sheets are laid back on the shelves and heated.
15 . The process according to claim 14 , wherein the shelves comprise substrate heat exchangers, or heat exchange plates are provided on top of the shelves supporting the substrate layers.
16 . A process for growing mycelium sheets in a cultivation room with an access port of the cultivation room closed during a growing step to control environmental conditions within the cultivation room so as to promote mycelium growth on top of a substrate without forming fruiting bodies, the process comprising:
a substrate mixture is applied as separate substrate layers on shelves, the shelves being vertically spaced apart on a rack with space between shelves to allow access to each substrate layer;
the rack is located in a cultivation room having walls defining closable interior space;
in a next step, the interior space is closed via the access so as to isolate the interior space of the cultivation room from an environment outside the cultivation room, and subsequently the substrate mixture is pasteurized on the shelves on the rack by injecting a pasteurizing medium into the closed interior space;
in a next step following pasteurization, the substrate mixture of each substrate layer is cooled and each substrate layer on each shelf of the rack of shelves is subsequently inoculated;
during a growing step with the cultivation room is closed environmental conditions are adjusted within the closed interior space so as to grow mycelium without fruiting bodies on the inoculated substrate mixture on the shelves on the rack in the closed interior space; and
in a next harvesting step, the mycelium is separated from the substrate mixture.
17 . The process according to claim 16 , wherein the CO2 concentration in the cultivation room during the growing step is at least 3 vol. % on total air volume, and the relative humidity is at least 40%, while the O2 concentration is below 20 vol. % on total air volume.
18 . The process according to claim 16 , wherein the substrate mixture is applied on the shelves using a head filling machine.