Plastics are widely used in industries in human society and because of their structural stability, degradation is a serious global issue. To estimate the degradation of plastic, 31 edible mushrooms were cultured with the selected plastic films (polyethylene [PE], polystyrene [PS], and poly(ethylene terephthalate) [PET]) for 3 months at 25 °C. Measuring the weight of the films showed that four species of mushrooms, namely Porostereum spadiceum, Ganoderma lucidum, Coprinellus micaceus, and Pleurotus ostreatus, exhibited the highest degrees of plastic degradation. In addition, the mushrooms and fungi that exhibited the most significant plastic degradation were cross-cultured to promote this degradation. As a result, cross-cultivation of G. lucidum and Aspergillus niger showed a weight loss of 2.49% for the PET film. For the PS film, Aspergillus nidulans showed a weight loss of 4.06%. Cross-cultivation of A. nidulans and C. micaceus, which showed a weight loss of 2.95%, was noted as an alternative for PS biodegradation, but is harmful to humans. These bio-degradation effects of edible mushroom will contribute to the development of alternatives for eco-friendly plastic degradation.

Edible biopolymer films were developed from the exopolysaccharides (EPS) extracted from Weissella confusa 113-2. The optimum composition for film formation was determined using the response surface analysis with the explanatory variables of the EPS (0.5-5.5%) and glycerol (0.5-5.5%) concentrations and the response variable of film elastic modulus (EM). The mass ratio of distilled water to solids was set constant (14:1). Tensile strength (TS), percentage elongation at break (%E), EM, water vapor permeability (WVP) of EPS films were evaluated. The glass transition temperatures of the films were also determined by a dynamic mechanical analysis. The optimum mass ratio of EPS to glycerol was 0.754:0.375. The WVP, TS, %E, and EM of the film under the optimal composition were 3.53±0.21 g·mm/kPa·h·m2, 7.03±0.49 MPa, 84.82±12.31%, and 62.03±6.93 MPa, respectively. The glass transition temperature varied from 54 to 83 °C. The EPS film has the potential to be applied to food products as an edible film with physical and barrier properties comparable to other biopolymer edible films.

본 연구는 홍화씨 가공제품의 산패방지 및 품질 향상을 위하여 가식성 필름을 코팅하여 저장 중의 물리화학적 변화를 조사하였다. 가식성 필름 용제로 코팅한 홍화정의 색도 변화는 저장기간이 길어질수록 명도 L 값과 적색도 a 값은 조금씩 증가하였으며 황색도 b 값은 감소하였다. 코팅한 홍화정의 수분함량의 변화는 저장기간이 길어질수록 약간의 증가보였으나 큰 변화는 없었다. 산가는 저장온도에 관계없이 저장기간이 길어질수록 가식성 필름 용제로 코팅한 홍화정