Large-scale aerobic submerged production of fungi

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11412740-B2
Application number	US-201916770260-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 10, 2019
Priority date	Jan 15, 2018
Publication date	Aug 16, 2022
Grant date	Aug 16, 2022

Abstract

Methods are provided for cultivating fungi for scaled-up production of microbe-based products. Specifically, cultures of fungi, such as, e.g., Pisolithus tinctorius, are grown by aerobic submerged fermentation in liquid medium containing a particulate anchoring carrier to increase mycelial biomass.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method of mass-producing a fungal strain and/or a fungal growth by-product, the method comprising:
inoculating a liquid growth medium with the fungal strain;
suspending a particulate anchoring carrier in the liquid growth medium as a site for nucleating fungal growth;
adding one or more antibacterial substances to the liquid growth medium; and

cultivating the strain by aerobic submerged fermentation in a reactor,
wherein the fungal strain attaches to the anchoring carrier and accumulates thereon to form a fungal-carrier mass with diameter of at least 1 mm; wherein the components of the liquid growth medium are sterilized prior to inoculation; and wherein said sterilization comprises mixing the components with 3% hydrogen peroxide in a ratio of 1:3 (w/v).

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the anchoring carrier comprises whole, or pieces of, seeds, nuts, beans, or fruits.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the anchoring carrier comprises alginate beads.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the alginate beads are prepared by dropping a solution comprising 3% sodium alginate solution, and, optionally, nutrients and/or fungal inoculant, into a sterile 5% calcium chloride solution.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fungal-carrier mass is harvested from the reactor and, dried to produce a dry fungi-based product.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the dry fungi-based product is milled.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the fungal strain is separated from the carrier prior to drying.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fungal strain is a strain of ectomycorrhizal fungi.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the fungal strain is a strain of Pisolithus tinctorius.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more antibacterial substances include streptomycin and/or oxytetracycline.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more antibacterial substances include a sophorolipid, a rhamnolipid, a lipopeptide, and/or hops.

12. The method of claim 1 , carried out at a pH of about 2.0 to about 7.0.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fungal growth by-product is a biosurfactant.

Assignees

• Locus Ip Co Llc

Inventors

• Farmer Sean
• Alibek Ken
• Mazumder Sharmistha
• Dixon Tyler

Classifications

• B09C1/00

  Reclamation of contaminated soil · CPC title

• C12N1/145

  Fungi isolates · CPC title

• B09C1/105

  using fungi or plants · CPC title

• C12N1/14

  Fungi (culture of mushrooms A01G18/00; as new plants A01H15/00); Culture media therefor · CPC title

• B09C2101/00

  In situ · CPC title