A system and method for growing mushrooms
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- EP · EP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- LUXSIT SYSTEMS INC
- Filing Date
- 2024-08-09
- Publication Date
- 2026-06-17
Smart Images
Figure IB2024057746_20022025_PF_FP_ABST
Abstract
Description
[0001] A SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR GROWING MUSHROOMS
[0002] Field
[0003] Generally, embodiments of the present invention relate to a system of growing light (growing light system) and a method for growing mushrooms, and more particularly, a growing light system and method for increasing yield, nutrient density, and concentrations of medicinal compounds within mushrooms.
[0004] Background
[0005] Mushrooms are simply tasty ingredients for many culinary dishes, and edible mushrooms have other benefits such as the following:
[0006] • vitamin booster - generally mushrooms are high in vitamin D and are a good source of vitamins A and B, as well;
[0007] • natural antibiotic properties;
[0008] • improves the health of the heart by reducing excess low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and increasing high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol;
[0009] • presence of beta-glucans and conjugated linoleic acid which assists in reducing the chances of breast and prostate cancer;
[0010] • increase iron levels in blood;
[0011] • natural source of insulin;
[0012] • natural source of potassium, which relieves blood vessel tension and stimulates oxygen and blood flow to the brain;
[0013] • natural source of selenium which strengthens the immune system;
[0014] • natural source of antioxidants; and
[0015] • natural source of other nutrients, such as alkaloids.
[0016] Accordingly, mushroom farming is a growing industry, as producers or manufacturers of nutritional supplements are focusing on mushroom as a natural source of nutrients.
[0017] With such diverse and numerous health benefits, there is an increasing industry in mushroom cultivation. However, to keep up with an increase in demand for mushrooms, there is a need to increase the biomass for mushrooms during the life cycle of a mushroom.
[0018] Mushrooms grow in a wide range of temperatures, from 4 to 32 degrees Celcius. They may begin growing in spring when temperatures are colder, but they thrive in a climate where temperatures hover around 21 °C. Moisture is also important for mushroom growth. Because mushrooms have no skin, it is difficult for them to retain moisture. This means they must grow in a moist environment to prevent the fruiting bodies from drying out.
[0019] There are four basic stages to the life cycle of a mushroom: 1 ) spore germination; 2) colonization; 3) fruiting; and 4) sporulation.
[0020] Similar to most plants, a mushroom spore germinates when the environmental conditions are right. This typically involves high humidity, plus a favourable temperature for a particular species. As the spore germinates, a strand of mycelium emerges from it. The strands of mycelium spreads through a substrate, gathering water and nutrients, to be able to produce fruiting bodies (the actual mushroom that are consumed).
[0021] Once a spore germinates, it enters into the second phase of the life cycle and colonizes the substrate. During this life cycle, the mycelium spreads through the substrate, trying to colonize as much area as possible. The more substrate that a single body of mycelium has colonized, the greater its access to nutrients, and therefore the greater its capacity to produce lots and lots of fruiting bodies to continue to produce spores and procreate.
[0022] Once the body of mycelium has gained access to enough nutrients, certain environmental conditions will trigger the formation of fruiting bodies, better known as mushrooms. Mushrooms will not enter into the fruiting stage until the mycelium has fully colonized the substrate and suitable environmental or fruiting conditions are present. These environmental conditions can vary from species to species, but commonly involve high humidity and a slight drop in temperature, which is one reason why mushrooms are the most abundant in autumn.
[0023] The first stage of a mushroom fruit body is called a hyphal knot. This is when the individual strands of hyphae bundle together and prepare to grow a mushroom. From there, a small cluster of visible bumps form on the surface of the mycelium. As they grow, they begin to look like miniature mushrooms just a few millimetres in size, known as primordia. These are commonly called ‘pins’ in the cultivation world.
[0024] From this point, provided humidity and temperatures remain favourable, the pins continue to grow into full size mushrooms. Depending on temperatures, and the individual species, this process of a pin growing into a full size mushroom can take anywhere between two days to a week or longer.
[0025] As the mushroom fruit body matures, gills (or pores in some cases) begin to become visible on the underside of the mushroom. Some mushrooms have a ‘veil’ or a ring around the stem protecting the gills during early growth. But eventually as the cap of the mushroom grows, the gills become exposed and begin to release spores.
[0026] Most mushrooms can be cultivate or harvested at this time. Otherwise, allowing the mushroom to continue to mature, will allow the veil to tear and release the spores, ready to gram a subsequent generation of mushrooms.
[0027] Sometimes spores can be released in such vast quantities that they appear as wisps of smoke wafting from the mushrooms gills. It is also common for spore deposits to be visible on the ground (or log) around the mushroom. Spores are so small that they are easily carried away in air currents, and once airborne they are capable of travelling vast distances including thousands of kilometres across oceans and continents, just waiting to land in a favourable place to germinate and continue through the life cycle once again.
[0028] In most instances, to grow mushrooms indoors, the following four factors have to be considered:
[0029] • CO2 concentration being less than 800 ppm (parts per million);
[0030] • Humidity above 80%;
[0031] • Lighting; and
[0032] • Temperature.
[0033] For optimal growth, mushrooms require an appropriate amount of light and appropriate temperatures. Most mushrooms prefer shade or dark places, which is why mushrooms are often found on forest floors. However, some mushrooms can grow in part to full sun, such as those you may find growing on manure in a field. Mushrooms are more likely to adapt to less ideal conditions if they have a quality substrate to grow on.
[0034] One known method for increasing the biomass of mushrooms, or otherwise increasing the yield of mushrooms, includes supplementation, which is the process of adding a nitrogen rich nutrient to the substrate to increase the potential yield. Simply put, supplementation is the process of using fertilizer to assist in the growth of the mushroom through its various growth cycles. This method is disadvantageous in that the costs for obtaining supplements, such as nitrogen through the use of fertilizers, increases the overall cost, has higher operating expenditures associated therewith, and increases the change of contaminates due to the increased nitrogen content.
[0035] Another method is to increase the inoculation rate, but this is disadvantageous because this results in higher operating expenditures.
[0036] Other methods include supplementing grow nutrients and growth hormones or using substrates that are high in nutrients, such as agro-industrial waste.
[0037] Summary
[0038] In a broad aspect, a growing light system comprises an array of a plurality of light emitting diodes (LED’s), each of the plurality of LED’s arranged in a desired arrangement and adapted to emit light at a desired wavelength.
[0039] In another broad aspect, a system for growing mushrooms within an indoor environment can have a first grow room isolated from an outside environment, a grow bed having an appropriate substrate for a desired species of mushrooms in the first grow room, a system for controlling temperature in the first grow room, blower fans for controlling a level of carbon dioxide in the first grow room, the blower fans drawing in fresh air and circulated the drawn in air within the first grow room, a hygrometer for monitoring a level of humidity in the first grow room, and a humidifier for controlling the level of humidity in the first grow room, and a growing light system having an array of a plurality of light emitting diodes (LED’s), each of the plurality of LED’s arranged in a desired arrangement and adapted to emit light at a desired wavelength.
[0040] In another broad aspect, a method of growing mushrooms includes providing substrate contained within a grow bed within a first grow room, providing the growing light system having an array of a plurality of light emitting diodes (LED’s), each of the plurality of LED’s arranged in a desired arrangement and adapted to emit light at a desired wavelength in the first grow room, inoculating the substrate, incubating the inoculated substrate for an appropriate length of time to promote colonization of the desired species of mushrooms, controlling a temperature, a level of humidity, a level of carbon dioxide, and light in the first grow room, moving the grow bed to a subsequent second grow room, isolated from the first grow room, providing the growing light system of claim 1 in the second grow room, and controlling a temperature, a level of humidity, a level of carbon dioxide, and light in the first grow room, wherein controlling the light in the first and second grow room further comprises manipulating a geometric and spectral arrangement of the plurality of LED’s.
[0041] Brief Description of the Drawings
[0042] Figure 1 is a schematic representation of a growth cycle known in the prior art;
[0043] Figure 2 is a schematic representation of an embodiment of the present invention, illustrating an indoor growing environment for growing mushrooms, the indoor environment having more than one grow rooms; and
[0044] Figure 3 is a schematic representation of an embodiment of the present invention, illustrating a grow room having a grow bed with a suitable substrate, a hygrometer, blower fans, heaters, humidifiers, and a growing light system.
[0045] Detailed Description
[0046] Most specialty mushrooms are best cultivated in controlled environment agriculture (CEA) scenarios. In contrast to CEA systems used for greens and herbs, mushrooms can be produced in locations with minimal infrastructure and capital to start and sustain production. Mushroom production can be adapted to abandoned and underutilized farm infrastructure including barns, outbuildings, high tunnels, and storage facilities.
[0047] CEA mushroom systems or indoor growing systems has several advantages, including 1 ) consistent temperatures can be maintained; 2) automation and monitoring can manage relative humidity, air flow, and lighting; 3) production per square foot can be predicted and altered by modifying the climate; and 4) sanitation can be managed to reduce cross contamination and food safety risks.
[0048] Indoor growing requires several chambers that moderate temperature, humidity, light, and air flow to maintain an environment ideal for one or more mushroom species.
[0049] To begin cultivating mushrooms, a suitable substrate can be inoculated with spawn of a desired mushroom. After the substrate is inoculated with spawn, the inoculated substrate is allowed to incubate for a period of about 4 to 8 weeks in an environment that has consistent temperatures. During this stage of growth, the mycelium grows through the substrate and takes hold, drawing energy and nutrition from it. This stage of the growth cycle is commonly known as colonization.
[0050] Once this stage is complete, fruiting can occur, and the substrate can be moved from one space to another, changing temperature, humidity, light, and air flow. As the chart below shows, each species has its own needs for successful cultivating through the fruiting stage.
[0051] With reference to Fig. 2, growth of mushrooms can be done in various grow rooms, with a different grow room used for different stages of the mushroom growth. For example, a first grow room 10, or a spore germination grow room can be used when inoculating a substrate with a particular species of mushrooms. And a second grow room 20 can be used during the colonization and fruiting stages of mushroom growth. It is advisable to use different grow rooms because the environmental conditions for each stage of the growth of the mushrooms can be different. Once the fruiting mushrooms reach a desired size, the substrate can be moved to a final grow room 30 where the mushrooms can be harvested or cultivated.
[0052] In embodiments, spawn of a desired species of mushrooms can be inoculated into a substrate that is suitable for growing that particular or desired mushroom. As shown in Fig. 2, the mushroom spawn can be inoculated in a first grow room 10 which can be adapted to control or modulate the temperature, humidity, light and air flow within the first grow room. Temperature modulation can be accomplished by using simple thermal control units such as commercially available heaters 40. Air flow and more specifically, carbon dioxide (CO2) can be controlled by using commercially available blower fans 50 that can be used to draw in fresh air from an outside environment and circulate it within the first grow room 10. It is important to note that drawing in fresh air will also impact the temperature within the grow room, as well as the humidity. Thus, controlling of the temperature, CO2 levels, and humidity are all interrelated and cannot be controlled in isolation from one another.
[0053] Referring back to Fig. 2, humidity within the grow room 10 can be monitored by a hygrometer 60, and humidity can be added by using a commercially available humidifier 70. The last environmental condition that can be controlled or modulated is the light available in the first grow room which can be with appropriate lighting systems 80.
[0054] Once the inoculation is completed, the inoculated substrate can be incubated for an appropriate length of time, typically 4 to 8 weeks, but can vary depending on the species of mushrooms. During this incubation period, mycelium can grow throughout the substrate and colonize the substrate.
[0055] After colonization and prior to fruiting, the growing mushrooms can be moved from the first grow room 10 into a subsequent second grow room 20 (see Fig. 2) with a different set of environmental conditions. As with the first grow room 10, the environmental conditions can be controlled by heaters 40, humidifiers 70, blower fans 50, and growing light systems 80.
[0056] While each species of mushrooms has a different range of environmental conditions, Applicant has found that manipulating the lighting that the mushrooms are exposed to can increase nutrient density. That is, the total amount of nutrients present in a volume of mushroom biomass increases, such that a large biomass of mushrooms is not needed to cultivate or harvest the same amount of nutrients desired. This is advantageous because increasing biomass of mushrooms to increase the amount of nutrients desired typically results in higher operational costs. Accordingly, increasing nutrient density results in achieving or harvesting the same amount of nutrients, but without the increase in operational costs.
[0057] In embodiments, a growing light system 80 can include a lighting fixture spectrum comprising a plurality of individual light emitting diodes (LED chips) 100 or other light emitting devices, a lighting fixture housing 110, electrical drivers (not shown), and PLC computer controllers (not shown), wherein the plurality of LED chips can be arranged in specific groupings with respect to one another both geometrically and spectrally.
[0058] A ratio of the spectrums and the geometric arrangement (groupings) of those spectrums can be optimized for increasing a nutrient density of a target nutrient that is desired.
[0059] With reference to Fig. 3, and in embodiments, the lighting fixture spectrum 80 or lighting system can comprise a plurality of individual light emitting diode (LED’s) chips, each adapted to emit a certain desired wavelength of light. The plurality of LED’s can be arranged in a particular geometric pattern in relation to one another, and be operatively connected with one another by electrical drivers. The plurality of LED’s can then be connected to a programmable logic controller (PLC). The entirety of the lighting system 80 can be housed in a fixture housing 110 and be positioned over a grow bed 120 in a grow room 10, 20.
[0060] Applicant has found, through experimentation, that a specific geometric arrangement of the plurality of LED’s, in relation to one another, and the specific wavelength of light emitted, together maximizes nutrient density during the growth phase.
[0061] For example, in an embodiment, and as shown in Example 1 , the Applicant has found that a total of 62 LED chips arranged geometrically in an array, having a specific spectral orientation as shown, encourages optimum growth and nutrient density for the following species of mushrooms: Psilocybe cubensis, Psilocybe subcubensis, Psilocybe samuiensis, Psilocybe hoogshagenii, and Psilocybe semilanceata.
[0062] In another embodiment, and as shown in Example 2, the specific spectral orientation as shown also encourages increased nutrient density for the mushroom species Panaeolus cyanescens, and Panaeolus tropicalis. Further still, in another embodiment, and as shown in Example 3, the specific spectral orientation as shown increases nutrient density for the following mushroom species: Psilocybe baeocystis, Psilocybe bohemica, Psilocybe cyanofibrillosa, and Psilocybe tampanessis.
[0063] Example 4 illustrates an geometric and spectral arrangement of the plurality of LED’s that is most efficient at increasing nutrient density for the mushroom species: Psilocybe , Psilocybe cranescans, psilocybe cyanofibrillosa, Psiolocybe natalensis, Psilocybe Mexicana, Psilocybe semilanceata, and Psilocybe tampanensis.
[0064] In Example 5, the mushrooms species Psilocybe azurescens, Psilocybe cyanescens, Psilocybe cyanofibrillosa, Psilocybe Natalensis, Psilocybe Mexicana, Psilocybe semilanceata, and Psilocybe tampanensis produced fruits having higher than naturally occurring nutrient density.
[0065] Spectrum Example 3
[0066] Spectrum Example 4 In embodiments, using the specific geometric arrangement (including the wavelength of light) the optimized lighting spectrum can increase alkaloid concentration, medicinal compounds, yields, and general health of mushrooms and fungi exposed to it. Applicant has also found that both the fruiting body and mycelium of the mushroom can be exposed to the light spectrum above.
Claims
CLAIMS:1 . A growing light system comprising an array of a plurality of light emitting diodes LED’s (light sources), each of the plurality of LED’s arranged in a desired arrangement and adapted to emit light at a desired wavelength.
2. The growing light system of claim 1 , wherein the desired arrangement further comprises a geometric pattern, the geometric pattern determined by the desired wavelength of light being emitted by each of the plurality of LED’s in relation to one another.
3. The growing light system of claim 1 , wherein the desired arrangement further comprises a spectral pattern, the spectral pattern determined by the plurality of LED’s.
4. The growing light system of claim 2 or 3, wherein the desired wavelength of light emitted is measured in nanometers.
5. The growing light system of claim 2 or 3, wherein the desired wavelength of light emitted is measured in Kelvin.
6. A system for growing mushrooms within an indoor environment, the system comprising: a first grow room isolated from an outside environment; a growing bed having an appropriate substrate for a desired species of mushrooms in the first grow room; a system for controlling temperature in the first grow room; blower fans for controlling a level of carbon dioxide in the first grow room, the blower fans drawing in fresh air and circulated the drawn in air within the first grow room; a hygrometer for monitoring a level of humidity in the first grow room, and a humidifier for controlling the level of humidity in the first grow room; andthe growing light system of claim 1 .
7. The system of growing mushrooms within an indoor environment of claim 6 further comprising a second grow room, isolated from the first grow room and the outside environment, the second grow room further comprising: a growing bed having an appropriate substrate for a desired species of mushrooms in the second grow room; a system for controlling temperature in the second grow room; blower fans for controlling a level of carbon dioxide in the second grow room, the blower fans drawing in fresh air and circulated the drawn in air within the second grow room; a hygrometer for monitoring a level of humidity in the second grow room, and a humidifier for controlling the level of humidity in the second grow room; and the growing light system of claim 1 .
8. A method of growing mushrooms, the method comprising: providing substrate contained within a grow bed within a first grow room; providing the growing light system of claim 1 in the first grow room; inoculating the substrate; incubating the inoculated substrate for an appropriate length of time to promote colonization of the desired species of mushrooms; controlling a temperature, a level of humidity, a level of carbon dioxide, and light in the first grow room; moving the grow bed to a subsequent second grow room, isolated from the first grow room; providing the growing light system of claim 1 in the second grow room; controlling a temperature, a level of humidity, a level of carbon dioxide, and light in the first grow room, wherein controlling the light in the first and second grow room further comprises manipulating a geometric and spectral arrangement of the plurality of LED’s.