Filamentous fungal biomats, methods of their production and methods of their use

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2021155893-A1
Application number	US-202117167976-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 4, 2021
Priority date	Mar 1, 2016
Publication date	May 27, 2021
Grant date	—

Abstract

A novel method of growing fungi is disclosed which uses an engineered artificial media and produces high density filamentous fungi biomats that can be harvested with a minimum of processing and from which fungal products such as antibiotics, proteins, and lipids can be isolated, the method resulting in lowered fungus cultivation costs for energy usage, oxygenation, water usage and waste stream production.

First claim

1 - 30 . (canceled)

31 . A biomat comprising filamentous fungi,
wherein the biomat is 1 mm to 30 mm thick, wherein the biomat is produced by a surface fermentation method comprising inoculating an artificial liquid medium with a biologically pure culture of filamentous fungi and incubating the inoculated filamentous fungi to produce the biomat on the surface of the liquid medium, and wherein the biomat comprises at least two structurally different cell layers in contact with each other, including an upper aerial hyphae layer in contact with the atmosphere during the surface fermentation and a lower layer in contact with the liquid media during the surface fermentation, wherein the lower layer has a higher fungal density than the aerial hyphae layer.

32 . The biomat of claim 31 , wherein the biomat is produced by culturing the filamentous fungi to produce at least 25 g dry wt filamentous fungi/1 media.

33 . The biomat of claim 31 , wherein the biomat is produced by culturing the filamentous fungi to produce at least 50 g dry wt filamentous fungi/1 media.

34 . The biomat of claim 31 , wherein the biomat is produced by culturing the filamentous fungi to produce at least 120 g dry wt filamentous fungi/1 media.

35 . The biomat of claim 31 , wherein the biomat is produced by culturing the filamentous fungi to produce at least 180 g dry wt filamentous fungi/1 media.

36 . The biomat of claim 31 , wherein the biomat further comprises a transitional layer between the aerial hyphae layer and the lower layer.

37 . The biomat of claim 31 , wherein the biomat has sufficient tensile strength and structural integrity to be lifted and moved by hand without tearing.

38 . The biomat of claim 31 , wherein the filamentous fungi is selected from the group consisting of Fusarium, Fusisporium, Pseudofusarium, Gibberella, Sporotrichella, Aspergillus, Penicillium, Trichoderma, Pichia , order Mucorales, yeasts capable of producing filaments, and combinations thereof.

39 . The biomat of claim 31 , wherein the filamentous fungi is selected from the group consisting of a species or strain of a genus selected from the group consisting of Fusarium, Fusisporium, Pseudofusarium, Gibberella, Sporotrichella, Aspergillus, Penicillium, Trichoderma, Pichia , and combinations thereof.

40 . The biomat of claim 31 , wherein the filamentous fungi is a species from the order Mucorales.

41 . The biomat of claim 31 , wherein the filamentous fungi is selected from the group consisting of a Fusarium species and a Rhizopus species.

42 . The biomat of claim 31 , wherein the filamentous fungi is selected from the group consisting of strain MK7 (ATCC Accession Deposit No. PTA-10698), Fusarium venenatum and Rhizopus oligosporus.

43 . The biomat of claim 31 wherein the biomat has a protein content of at least 40%.

44 . The biomat of claim 31 wherein the biomat has a lipid content of at least 39%.

45 . The biomat of claim 31 wherein the biomat is between 5% and 20% solids.

46 . The biomat of claim 31 wherein the biomat has an average filament length of between 0.05 cm and 2 cm.

47 . The biomat of claim 31 wherein the biomat comprises amino acids selected from tryptophan, cysteine, methionine, alanine, arginine, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, glycine, histidine, isoleucine, leucine, phenylalanine, proline, serine, threonine, lysine, tyrosine and valine produced by the filamentous fungi.

48 . A food product, comprising a filamentous fungal biomat,
wherein the biomat is produced by a surface fermentation method comprising inoculating an artificial liquid medium with a biologically pure culture of filamentous fungi and incubating the inoculated filamentous fungi to produce the biomat on the surface of the liquid medium, and wherein the biomat comprises at least two structurally different cell layers in contact with each other, including an upper aerial hyphae layer in contact with the atmosphere during the surface fermentation and a lower layer in contact with the liquid media during the surface fermentation, wherein the structural difference between the cell layers is that the lower layer has a higher fungal density than the aerial hyphae layer.

49 . The food product of claim 43 , wherein the food product is selected from group consisting of a human food, fish feed and animal feed.

50 . A method of producing a biomat by a surface fermentation method comprising
(a) inoculating an artificial liquid growth medium with an effective amount of a biologically pure culture of a filamentous fungus; (b) incubating the inoculated filamentous fungi to produce a filamentous fungal biomat on the surface of the liquid medium; and (c) harvesting the filamentous fungal biomat, wherein the biomat comprises at least two structurally different cell layers in contact with each other, including an upper aerial hyphae layer in contact with the atmosphere during the surface fermentation and a lower layer in contact with the liquid media during the surface fermentation, wherein the lower layer has a higher fungal density than the aerial hyphae layer.

Assignees

• The Fynder Group Inc

Inventors

• Kozubal Mark A
• Macur Richard E
• Avniel Yuval C

Classifications

• A23L31/00

  Edible extracts or preparations of fungi; Preparation or treatment thereof · CPC title

• C12R2001/645

  Fungi {; Processes using fungi} · CPC title

• C12N1/145

  Fungi isolates · CPC title

• C12R2001/66

  Aspergillus · CPC title

• C12N1/02

  Separating microorganisms from their culture media · CPC title