Pilot-scale production and physicochemical properties of mycelium-based materials and diversity assessment of a fungal biobank

Mycelium-based materials offer a sustainable alternative to conventional synthetic materials used in protective packaging, insulation, and other applications. Lightweight, water-resistant biomaterials can be produced by using mycelium as a binding agent for agricultural byproducts. In this study, we investigated the production and physicochemical properties—dry density, moisture content, and water absorption—of mycelium-based materials produced at pilot scale by growing white rot fungi from the genera Ganoderma and Pleurotus on canola straw, wheat straw, and cork granulates. The mycelium bricks made from grey oyster D-wheat straw exhibited the highest average dry density and moisture content. Inversely, the lowest average dry density was seen in Reishi-cork bricks while the lowest average moisture content was seen in Reishi-wheat straw. This research showed the both the lignocellulosic feedstock and the fungal strain influence the physicochemical properties of the mycelium bricks. We also characterized our biobank of commercial and locally sourced wild fungal cultures in terms of species diversity to inform future testing for mycelium-based material production. Species boundaries were delineated using ITS sequences, providing a foundation for identifying strains with desirable traits such as rapid growth and environmental adaptability. Firstly, Neighbour Joining (NJ) trees were constructed for all ten genera represented in the biobank. Maximum-likelihood (ML) trees were also constructed for the genera Schizophyllum and Ganoderma. Species boundaries were determined using three methods: maximum pairwise distance, bPTP and ASAP. The study revealed incongruencies in phylogenetic reconstruction method, with the ML tree resolving fine scale structure compared to the NJ. Incongruencies in species delimitation methods was also seen in all trees apart from the Pycnoporus NJ. This study highlights the complexity in fungal identification due to substitution complexity and the importance of reference database selection.

Grantor dc:publisher

Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University

Year dc:date.issued

2026

Author dc:creator

• Rajaruthnam, Sunthuri

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Van Asch, Barbara

Language dc:language.iso

en

Repository record dc:identifier.uri

https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/135916

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/135916