Ecovative Design LLC

Matthew Lucht

Gavin Reim McIntyre

Jacob Michael Winiski

Sue Van Hook

Alex Carlton

Damen Donald Schaak

The process aseptically inoculates a liquid media with a vegetativefungal species to form a culture; statically incubates the culture in a vessel for a time sufficient to begin initiation of fruit body development and asexual sporulation and halts incubation at maximum conidia production prior to the beginning of sexual sporulation. Thereafter, the entire culture contents of the incubation vessel are macerated to homogenize the fungal biomass and conidia therein and form an inoculum.

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In one embodiment, the process combines a fraction (up to 15%) of a lignocellulose substrate with supplemental nutritional material and hydrates the fraction to a moisture content of from 40% to 70% by weight. The hydrated substrate fraction is heat processed to remove ambient bioburden (yeast, mold, bacteria) and to maintain the hydrated substrate fraction in an aseptic condition. Thereafter, the hydrated substrate fraction is inoculated with a fungus and incubated to obtain a myceliated substrate which is then reduced into discrete particles. The remaining fraction of the substrate is combined with water and then combined with the discrete particles of myceliated substrate and incubated to obtain a second myceliated substrate which is then reduced into discrete particles. The second myceliated substrate is combined with supplemental nutritional material and incubated to obtain a third myceliated substrate composed of at least 10% mycelium.

Process for solid-state cultivation of mycelium on a lignocellulose substrate

The process provides a biofilm including and not limited to cellulose produced by bacteria that can be used as a bio-resin and as a surface application for myceliated and non-myceliated biomaterials. In one embodiment, the process comprises the steps of obtaining an agricultural substrate; and cohabitating a selected bacteria with a selected fungus in the agricultural substrate for a period of time to allow the bacteria to grow alongside the fungus and to excrete a biofilm from the bacteria into the substrate to provide bio-resin like strengthening compounds to the agricultural substrate.

Growing community of inventors

Troy, NY, United States of America

Matthew Lucht