Wood ear mushrooms (Auricularia heimuer) are commercially used in various fields in South Korea. Therefore, it is necessary to take appropriate measures, including monitoring and prevention of microbial growth in cultivation houses, as microorganisms can reduce the wood ear mushroom’s marketability and cause food poisoning among consumers. Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate the direct impact of airborne fungi isolated and identified from the indoor air of domestic wood ear mushroom cultivation houses on the mycelia growth of wood ear mushroom strains. For the evaluation, 11 airborne fungal species were tested with three strains of A. heimuer on PDA using the cocultivation method. Among them, Alternaria alternata, Cladosporium anthropophilum, Cochliobolus kusanoi, Lecanicillium sp., Periconia byssoides, and Periconia pseudobyssoides suppressed the mycelial growth of all three A. heimuer strains. There was no significant difference in the reaction against the 11 tested airborne fungal species among the three A. heimuer strains. The results of this study show that proper management of airborne fungi is necessary in the indoor environment of wood ear mushroom cultivation houses.

This study aimed to select Perenniporia fraxinea isolates that form mycelial mats with excellent texture and ultimately to use them to produce mycelial based leather (MBL). Among 10 P. fraxinea isolates, JK-M0825 had the fastest mycelial growth rate on malt extract-yeast extract glucose medium. Polymorphic DNA of P. fraxinea isolates was detected using ultra-fast photonic polymerase chain reaction, which showed DNA diversity. The ribosomal DNA-internal transcribed spacer sequence of JK-M0825 was 99% identical to that of P. fraxinea isolates registered in GenBank. Four P. fraxinea isolates formed high-quality mycelial mats on sawdust substrates, and JK-M0825 produced the thickest mycelial mat (3.8 mm). JK-M0825 had the highest tensile strength (6.08 N/mm2) and an elongation rate of 32.93±6.31%. In addition, the mycelia of JK-M0825 formed uniformly on a large-scale culture medium (90 cm x 90 cm) and formed a textured mycelial mat. These results suggest that JK-M0825 is appropriate for producing MBL.

Mycelium-based leather is a promising sustainable material that offers a biodegradable and animal-free alternative to conventional leather. However, ensuring its consistent quality during mass production remains a significant challenge owing to variability in biological growth and vulnerability to contamination. This study investigated the effects of surface modification and plasticization treatments on the structural and chemical properties of mycelial mats. Structural and chemical profile alterations were evaluated using hyperspectral imaging (HSI), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. HSI effectively detected these changes and surface defects nondestructively. It enabled precise differentiation between treated and untreated regions, thus supporting rapid and spatially resolved quality inspection. These results highlight the potential of HSI as an effective tool for evaluating the effects of pretreatment and monitoring contamination in mycelium-based leather production.

This study analyzed patent trends for technologies that convert horticultural crop residues into mushroom substrates and developed mycelium-based utilization technologies. Environmental pollution caused by disposable plastics and Styrofoam has increased. Therefore, the demand for innovative and eco-friendly solutions has substantially increased. Agricultural residues such as fruit pruning residues and citrus waste provide economically and environmentally viable alternatives to imported raw materials because of their rich cellulose and lignin contents. Recent studies have shown that substrates containing these residues can produce mushrooms of equivalent quality as conventional sawdust-based media, thereby reducing production costs and improving resource independence. In addition, mushroom mycelia have been developed as sustainable materials for non-animal leather, packaging, building, and insulation. A patent analysis of ECOVATIVE confirmed important innovations in processing, material mixing, and product applications. The results provide the foundation for building an integrated system for utilizing horticultural residue resources with mycelium-based materials, as well as offers strategic insights and future directions for the research and development of sustainable industrial materials. The results also demonstrate the potential of agricultural byproducts to reduce dependence on imported substrates, lower cultivation costs, and mitigate environmental impacts, ultimately contributing to a circular economy for the development of sustainable materials.

Laetiporus sulphureus, commonly known as ”chicken of the woods”, due to its chicken-like flavor, texture, and aroma, is a species of mushroom with high potential as an alternative to meat, given its reported protein content of 11% to 21%. This study was conducted to determine the optimal substrate composition for efficient mycelial production of L. sulphureus for use as an alternative to meat. Two types of sawdust, Populus deltoides and Quercus acutissima, and eight nutrient sources were applied in single and mixed compositions. Analysis of mycelial growth revealed that the media containing P. deltodies and Q. acutissima, only supplemented with beet pulp, had the highest mycelial extension, of 106.7 mm and 101.3 mm, respectively. In addition, protein content analysis revealed that the combinations with the highest protein content in mycelia were cultivated on P. deltodies sawdust supplemented with a mixture of beet pulp and corn (21.3%), and on Q. acutissima sawdust supplemented with cottonseed hull (22.0%). The optimal substrate compositions identified in this study will serve as fundamental data for the large-scale production of L. sulphureus mycelia as an alternative to meat.

Wood ear mushroom (Auricularia heimuer) is one of the most popular mushrooms in Korea. Bacteria in the air can act as contaminants of mushroom media, mushroom pathogens, and sources of food poisoning in the indoor environment of mushroom cultivation houses. Therefore, cultivation houses require proper management to maintain mushroom production, quality and hygiene. This study was conducted to evaluate the properties of airborne bacterial species isolated from wood ear mushroom cultivation. Nine species of indoor-airborne bacteria were tested against wood ear mushroom cultivars using confrontation assay on PDA. Among 9 species, Bacillus subtilis DUCC18238 showed the strongest inhibition effect on the mycelial growth of nine wood ear mushroom cultivars and the inhibition rate for 7 of them was more than 30%. In addition, B. subtilis DUCC18238 inhibited the mycelial growth of 11 out of 18 wild mushroom species, 7 out of 8 phytopathogenic fungi, and 5 out of 5 Trichoderma species, respectively. The results of this study show that the management of airborne bacteria in the indoor environment of wood ear mushroom cultivation houses is necessary.

We developed pet food ingredients for dogs by fermenting oats soaked in herbal extracts of Dendropanax morbifera and Eriobotrya japonica using Lentinula edodes KCTC 18874P mycelium. The resulting materials were analyzed for β-glucan, total polyphenol, essential amino acids, vitamins B1 and B2, calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P), and heavy metals to confirm their beneficial components and safety during consumption. The content of (1-3),(1-4)-β-glucan ranged from 1.08 to 1.78%, with the highest content (1.51%) found in fermented D. morbifera and E. japonica using L. edodes mycelium (FMEJDMOLEM). The (1-3),(1-6)-β-glucan content ranged from 44.14% to 50.13%, with FMEJDMOLEM showing the highest content at 50.13%. The total polyphenol content was highest in FMEJDMOLEM, followed by fermented D. morbifera using L. edodes mycelium (FDMOLEM) and fermented E. japonica using L. edodes mycelium (FEJOLEM). Vitamin B1 content was significantly higher in FMEJDMOLEM, followed by FEJOLEM. FMEJDMOLEM also had the highest vitamin B2 content. The total essential amino acid content was the highest in FMEJDMOLEM, followed by FDMOLEM. FEJOLEM had the highest calcium content. The calcium-tophosphorus ratio in all the samples was below 1:0.8, meeting the standards set by the American Feed Association. Heavy metal analysis confirmed that lead and cadmium, which are hazardous to the health of dogs, were not detected in any of the samples. This study demonstrated the development of pet food materials with high levels of beneficial ingredients, such as β-glucan, appropriate calcium and phosphorus ratios, and no detectable heavy metals, ensuring both usefulness and safety. Our future research will focus on developing dog pet food using these materials, and conducting physiological activity studies to complete the development of scientific dog pet food.

The oyster mushrooms have known to be a major product in Gyeonggi-do, with production accounting for 69% of the entire country. The ‘Daeseon’ cultivar, which has white and straight stem, was developed. This cultivar was developed by mating monokaryons isolated from the ‘Heuktari’ and ‘Hwaseong-2ho’ varieties. The optimum temperature for the mycelial growth was 26~32oC on PDA medium and that for the primordia formation and the growth of fruit body of ‘Daeseon’ was 16~20oC on sawdust media. It took 35 days to complete spawn running, 3 days for finish primordia formation, and 4 days for finish fruit body growth in the bottle culture. It has shallow funnel-shaped pileus and a white straight stipe. The yield per bottle was 201 g/1,100 ml and was 16% higher than that of control cultivar ‘Suhan-1ho’. Based on above results, we expect this cultivar to be suitable for small packaging.

The objective of this study was to investigate the anticancer effects of EMPS (edible mushroom mycelium polysaccharide: Tremella fuciformis) in animal models with colorectal cancer induced by AOM/DSS. The experimental groups consisted of Nor (normal), NC (AOM/DSS), EMPS (EMPS 50, EMPS 100), and PC (Fluorouracil). The NC group had the highest number of colon tumors, whereas it was observed that tumor occurrence was significantly reduced in the EMPS consumption group. The expression of Bcl-2, an apoptosis inhibitor, was significantly lower in the EMPS 50 & 100 and PC groups. On the other hand, the mRNA gene expression of Bax, a factor that induces apoptosis, was significantly higher in the EMPS 50 & 100 and PC groups compared to the NC group. The mRNA expression levels of TNF-α and COX-2 significantly increased in the NC group, but showed a significant decrease in the EMPS and PC groups, indicating inhibition of the cancer-promoting response of cells. At the phylum level of the mice's intestinal microbial composition, the proportion of Bacteroidetes tended to decrease, while the proportion of Firmicutes tended to increase with EMPS administration. This suggests that changes in the gut microbiota caused by inflammation can be influenced by dietary intake.