Lightweight material using mushroom mycelium and method for producing same

Abstract

Disclosed herein are: a lightweight mycelium material using mushroom mycelium; and a method for efficiently producing same, wherein the density of the material can be significantly lowered by minimizing the amount of the mycelium used. The present invention provides a lightweight mycelium material obtained by inoculating a medium with a mushroom strain inoculum and primarily culturing same to obtain a mycelium, molding the mycelium into a material of a first form, and secondarily culturing the material of the first form in a mold having a larger volume the first form to mold the material of the first form into a second form corresponding to the mold; and a method for producing same.

Description

Lightweight material using mushroom mycelium and method for manufacturing the same

[0001] The present invention relates to a lightweight material and a method for manufacturing the same, and more specifically, to a lightweight material using mushroom mycelium and a method for manufacturing the same.

[0002] This application claims priority and interest to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2025-0023728 filed on February 24, 2025, the full text of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0003] Lightweight materials are used in various product fields, such as packaging materials to prevent damage caused by impact inside packaging boxes, and buoys used to secure aquaculture facilities or assist in the safe navigation of ships.

[0004] Expanded Polystyrene (EPS), commonly known as Styrofoam, is used as a material for these lightweight materials. However, expanded polystyrene is a chemical material synthesized from petroleum-based raw materials, and it poses environmental pollution problems such as the generation of harmful chemicals during the manufacturing process and the significant amount of time required for it to decompose after disposal.

[0005] Recently, attempts have been made to develop materials that can replace expanded polystyrene in an eco-friendly way, and as part of this, the development of lightweight materials using mushroom mycelium is attracting attention.

[0006] Conventionally, lightweight materials utilizing mushroom mycelium are produced by inoculating a mushroom strain inoculum into a substrate such as sawdust, crushing the mycelium that has been cultured in a primary manner, filling it into a culture frame made in a desired shape, and then culturing it in a secondary manner.

[0007] However, although the primary cultured mycelium is filled into the culture frame in bulk form to form a self-supporting composite material within the culture frame through mycelial growth and network formation, thereby forming a material with an overall dense structure, the amount of mycelium used increases and the density of the final material increases, which limits its use as a lightweight material.

[0008] [Prior Art]

[0009] - Korean Registered Patent No. 10-2675821 (June 12, 2024)

[0010] The present invention aims to provide a lightweight material using mushroom mycelium, a lightweight mycelium material that can significantly reduce the density of the material by minimizing the amount of mycelium used, and a method for efficiently manufacturing the same.

[0011] To solve the above problem, the present invention provides a lightweight mycelial material formed by a first form of material, which is formed by primary culture of a mycelium inoculated with a mushroom strain inoculum in a culture medium, and secondary culture of the first form within a mold having a larger volume than the first form, thereby forming a second form corresponding to the mold.

[0012] In addition, the present invention provides a lightweight mycelial material characterized by the fact that the above-mentioned mushrooms are one or more species selected from the group consisting of Ganoderma lucidum, Antrodiella zonata, Fomitella fraxinea, and Perenniporia fraxinea.

[0013] In addition, the present invention provides a lightweight mycelial material characterized by the fact that the strain is one or more selected from the group consisting of the Ganoderma lucidum strain deposited under deposit number KACC 83090BP, the Antrodiella zonata strain Heri-17 strain deposited under deposit number KACC 83093BP, the Fomitella fraxinea strain Heri-23 strain deposited under deposit number KACC 83094BP, the Perenniporia fraxinea strain Heri-27 strain deposited under deposit number KACC 83101BP, and the Perenniporia fraxinea strain Heri-32 strain deposited under deposit number KACC 83096BP.

[0014] In addition, the above-mentioned mycelial material provides a lightweight mycelial material characterized by having a density of less than 0.1 g / cm³.

[0015] In addition, the above-mentioned mycelial material is characterized as being a packaging material for a product, thereby providing a lightweight mycelial material.

[0016] In addition, the above-mentioned mycelial material is characterized as being a buoy, thereby providing a lightweight mycelial material.

[0017] To solve the above additional problem, the present invention provides a method for manufacturing a lightweight mycelial material comprising: (a) a step of preparing an inoculum by culturing a strain; (b) a step of mixing the inoculum into a culture medium and performing a first culture; (c) a step of forming a first-form material with the first-form mycelium; (d) a step of filling a plurality of the first-form materials into a mold having a larger volume than the first-form materials and performing a second culture; and (e) a step of growing mycelium between the first-form materials to form a second-form mycelial material corresponding to the mold.

[0018] In addition, the above step (a) comprises the step of culturing the strain on a solid medium (PDA) to cultivate the mycelium; thereby providing a method for manufacturing a lightweight mycelial material.

[0019] In addition, the above step (a) is performed at 26 to 32°C for 5 to 7 days, thereby providing a method for manufacturing a lightweight mycelial material.

[0020] In addition, a method for manufacturing a lightweight mycelial material is provided, characterized in that, in step (b) above, the culture medium comprises sawdust and wheat bran.

[0021] In addition, the above step (b) is performed under conditions of 26 to 32°C in a medium in which the sawdust and wheat bran are mixed in a volume ratio of 5 to 15:1, thereby providing a method for manufacturing a lightweight mycelial material.

[0022] In addition, the present invention provides a method for manufacturing a lightweight mycelial material, characterized in that, in step (c) above, the molding is performed by crushing the primary cultured mycelium and filling the crushed mycelium into a mold.

[0023] In addition, the above step (d) is performed under conditions of 26 to 32°C, thereby providing a method for manufacturing a lightweight mycelial material.

[0024] The present invention provides a lightweight material using mushroom mycelium, wherein a first-form material formed from mycelium that has been primary cultured by inoculating a mushroom strain inoculum into a culture medium is secondary cultured within a mold having a larger volume than the first form and formed into a second form corresponding to the mold, thereby minimizing the amount of mycelium used between the first-form materials and significantly reducing the density of the material.

[0025] In addition, by culturing a specific mushroom strain on a solid medium and then culturing it on a medium containing sawdust and wheat bran of a specific composition, the mycelial growth rate is maximized, thereby improving manufacturing productivity and providing a method to efficiently produce lightweight mycelial materials.

[0026] FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of a lightweight mycelial material according to the present invention.

[0027] FIG. 2 is a process diagram illustrating an example of a method for manufacturing a lightweight mycelial material according to the present invention.

[0028] FIG. 3 is a photograph showing a first form of material molded in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 4 is a photograph showing a second type of mycelial lightweight material molded in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 5 is a photograph showing a cross-section of a second type of mycelial lightweight material molded in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0031] The present invention will be described in detail below through examples. Prior to this, terms and words used in this specification and claims should not be interpreted as being limited to their ordinary or dictionary meanings. Instead, based on the principle that the inventor may appropriately define the concepts of terms to best describe their invention, they should be interpreted in a meaning and concept consistent with the technical spirit of the present invention. Therefore, the configurations of the examples described in this specification are merely the most preferred embodiments of the present invention and do not represent all aspects of the technical spirit of the present invention; thus, it should be understood that various equivalents and modifications capable of replacing them may exist at the time of filing this application.

[0032] In addition, the term “mycelium” in this invention collectively refers to a state in which hyphae grow in a densely intertwined state. It is observed in eukaryotic fungi and prokaryotic actinobacteria, and in the case of mushroom mycelium, it is known to be much richer in nutrients and medicinal components compared to the fruiting body, which corresponds to the body.

[0033]

[0034] The inventors recognized the problem that conventional lightweight materials utilizing mushroom mycelium have limitations in their use as lightweight materials because the amount of mycelium used increases the density of the final material. As a result of repeated research to solve this problem, they confirmed that it is possible to provide a lightweight mycelium material capable of significantly reducing the density of the material by minimizing the amount of mycelium used between the first type of material and thereby forming a second type of material by filling a mold with a larger volume than the first type of material and culturing it secondarily by inoculating a mushroom strain inoculum into a culture medium and culturing it secondarily. This led to the present invention.

[0035] Accordingly, the present invention discloses a lightweight mycelial material formed by a first form of material, which is formed by primary culture of a mycelium inoculated with a mushroom strain inoculum in a culture medium, and secondary culture of the first form within a mold having a larger volume than the first form, thereby forming a second form corresponding to the mold.

[0036] FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of a lightweight mycelial material according to the present invention.

[0037] Referring to FIG. 1, the mycelial lightweight material (100) according to the present invention is formed by culturing a first type of material (110) in a mold and finally molding it into a second type (100).

[0038] The above-mentioned first type of material (110) is a material formed from mycelium that has been primary cultured by inoculating a mushroom strain inoculum into a culture medium, and its shape is not limited, and for example, it may be spherical as shown in the drawing.

[0039] The first type of material (110) is cultured within a mold so that mycelia grow between the first type of material (110) to form a network (120), thereby connecting and solidifying the first type of material (110) to form a single molded body having the shape of a mold overall.

[0040] At this time, the density of the first type of material (110) is approximately 0.1 to 0.3 g / cm³, which is similar to the density of the existing mycelial lightweight material, but the network (120) between the first type of material (110) has almost no culture medium components and consists only of grown mycelium, so that it exhibits a density significantly lower than the density of the first type of material (110), and thus the second type of final lightweight material (100) can be implemented as a lighter material in proportion to the size of the network (120) space formed between the first type of material (110). Specifically, the density of the second type of mycelial material (100) may be less than 0.1 g / cm³, preferably 0.08 g / cm³ or less, and more preferably 0.05 g / cm³ or less.

[0041] In addition, the size of the first type of material (110) can be appropriately set in consideration of the size of the second type of material (100) manufactured therefrom. For example, when used to mold the second type of material (100) having a volume of 1 to 5 L, the size of the first type of material (110) may have a diameter of 3 to 15 cm when molded into a sphere, and it goes without saying that if the second type of material (100) is larger than this, it can be molded into the first type of material (110) of a size proportional to it.

[0042] The above-mentioned first type of material (110) may be formed by filling a mold having the corresponding shape with a medium and inoculating it with a mushroom strain inoculum, but it is preferable in terms of manufacturing efficiency to form it by a conventional culture method, that is, by inoculating and culturing a mushroom strain inoculum in a rod-shaped medium, a bottle-shaped medium, or a plate-shaped medium, then crushing it, and filling and molding (stamping) the crushed mycelium into a mold. At this time, by performing culture for 0.5 to 2 days while filled in the mold to allow mycelial growth and the formation of a partial network, the shape can be maintained when the mold is removed.

[0043] The above second form (100) is not specified in shape and can be implemented in various ways depending on the shape of the required mycelial material, and the mycelial material may be, for example, a packaging material to prevent damage caused by impact to the product inside a packaging box in packaging of various products, a buoy used to fix aquaculture facilities or to help safe navigation of a ship, and the specific shape of the packaging material or the buoy may be implemented in various ways.

[0044] At this time, the mold corresponding to the second form (100) is a mold made to accommodate the material (110) of the first form, and, for example, can be made by injection molding or rotational molding using plastic material, or by 3D printing, but there are no special restrictions on the method of production.

[0045] The mushrooms that can be used in the present invention are not particularly limited in type as long as they grow into mycelium to be realized as a lightweight material, but mushrooms with a fast mycelial growth rate in the culture medium and specific strains thereof may be selected so as to enable the production of a relatively lightweight material with high productivity.

[0046] As types of such mushrooms, Ganoderma lucidum, Antrodiella zonata, Fomitella fraxinea, or Perenniporia fraxinea may be selected, and as strains thereof, the Ganoderma lucidum strain Heri-8 deposited under accession number KACC 83090BP (refer to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2023-0193630), the Antrodiella zonata strain Heri-17 deposited under accession number KACC 83093BP (refer to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2024-0002396), and the Fomitella fraxinea strain Heri-23 deposited under accession number KACC 83094BP (refer to Korean Patent Application It has been confirmed that strains of *Perenniporia fraxinea* Heri-27 (refer to KACC No. 10-2024-0009595), *Perenniporia fraxinea* deposited under accession number KACC 83101BP (refer to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2024-0066123), or *Perenniporia fraxinea* Heri-32 (refer to KACC No. 10-2024-0009044) deposited under accession number KACC 83096BP exhibit excellent mycelial growth rates in specific media and can be suitablely used for the production of lightweight materials according to the present invention.

[0047] Hereinafter, a method for manufacturing a lightweight mycelial material according to the present invention will be described in detail.

[0048] FIG. 2 is a process diagram illustrating an example of a method for manufacturing a lightweight mycelial material according to the present invention.

[0049] Referring to FIG. 2, a method for manufacturing a mycelial lightweight material (100) according to the present invention comprises: (a) a step of preparing an inoculum by culturing a strain; (b) a step of mixing the inoculum into a culture medium and performing a first culture; (c) a step of forming a first type of material (110) with the first cultured mycelium; (d) a step of filling a plurality of the first type of material (110) into a mold with a larger volume than the first type and performing a second culture; and (e) a step of growing mycelium between the first type of material (110) to form a second type of mycelial material (100) corresponding to the mold.

[0050] In step (a) above, the culture may include the step of culturing the strain on a solid medium (Potato dextrose agar, PDA) to culture the mycelium.

[0051] Here, it is preferable that the culture in step (a) be carried out at 26 to 32°C for 5 to 7 days so that mycelial growth is maximized in the subsequent step (b).

[0052] Step (b) above is a step of mixing the inoculum cultured in Step (a) above into a medium and then culturing the mycelium.

[0053] As the medium used in step (b) above, cultivation may be performed using conventional sawdust alone or a mixed medium of sawdust and rice bran or rice husk, but preferably, by using a medium containing sawdust and wheat bran, significantly improved mycelial growth can be induced compared to conventional media.

[0054] At this time, the content ratio of the sawdust and wheat bran is preferably a volume ratio of 5 to 15:1, and more preferably a volume ratio of 8 to 12:1. In addition, the sawdust is preferably oak sawdust.

[0055] Here, it is preferable that the culture in step (b) be performed at 26 to 32°C so that the mycelial growth rate is maximized in the subsequent step (d).

[0056] Step (c) above is a step of forming a material to be filled into a mold used for forming a first form of material, that is, a second form of mycelial material (100) that becomes the final lightweight material, using the mycelium cultured in Step (b) above.

[0057] As described above, the shape of the first type of material (110) is not specified and, for example, may be spherical as shown in the drawing.

[0058] In addition, as described above, the material (110) of the first form may be formed by filling a mold having the corresponding form with a medium and inoculating it with a mushroom strain inoculum, but it is preferable in terms of manufacturing efficiency to form it by a conventional culture method, that is, by inoculating and culturing a mushroom strain inoculum in a rod-shaped medium, a bottle-shaped medium, or a plate-shaped medium, then crushing it, and filling and molding (stamping) the crushed mycelium into a mold. At this time, by performing culture for 0.5 to 2 days while filled in the mold to allow mycelial growth and the formation of a partial network, the shape can be maintained when the mold is removed.

[0059] Step (d) above is a step of secondary cultivation in which the material (110) of the first form formed in Step (c) above is filled into a mold with a larger volume than the first form.

[0060] The first type of material (110) is cultured within a mold so that mycelia grow between the first type of material (110) to form a network (120), thereby connecting and solidifying the first type of material (110) to form a single molded body (100) having the shape of a mold overall.

[0061] Since the mushroom mycelium is still alive in the first type of material (110) filled in the mold during the second culture, mycelial growth occurs between the first type of material (110) if the culture conditions are maintained in an appropriate state. However, to improve the growth rate of the mycelium, water may be supplied or the culture temperature may be maintained at a condition of 26 to 32°C, similar to step (b).

[0062] Step (e) above is a step of forming a second type of mycelial material (100) that becomes the final mycelial lightweight material by filling the first type of material (110) into the mold and then culturing it, wherein mycelia grow between the first type of material (110) to form a network (120), and through this, the first type of material (110) is connected and solidified to form a single molded body (100) that has the shape of a mold overall.

[0063] Afterwards, to soften the outer surface of the molded body (100) and protect the space within the mycelial material, the outer surface may be coated using powdered mycelium, or additional cultivation may be performed so that the inner mycelium rises to the outside of the surface to form a strong protective film.

[0064] Meanwhile, the mycelial network (120) growing within the mold can grow upward beyond the intended second form, that is, beyond the upper surface of the mold, and after cutting the part that has grown beyond the upper surface of the mold, the mold can be removed to obtain the final second form mycelial material (100).

[0065] After removing the mold, a deactivation process can be performed to dry and sterilize the mycelial material according to a conventional method so that the mushroom mycelium is not activated in the final second form of mycelial material (100) obtained. For example, a deactivation process can be performed through drying and sterilization using high frequency, ultrasound, heat, X-rays, gamma rays, etc. In addition, post-processing processes such as crosslinking and coating can be performed, as with a leather substitute material using mushrooms.

[0066] The present invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to examples.

[0067]

[0068] Examples

[0069] The applicant cultivated mycelium by culturing the Heri-27 strain of *Perenniporia fraxinea*, which is owned by the applicant, on PDA medium in an incubator at 28 to 30°C for 6 days. Subsequently, the cultured PDA was cut and cultured at 28 to 30°C in a mixed medium of sawdust and wheat bran mixed in a 10:1 volume ratio. The cultured material was crushed, filled into a spherical mold (diameter approximately 5 to 10 cm), and cultured for 1 day, after which the mold was removed to form a material of the first form (see Fig. 3). Subsequently, approximately 30 pieces of the material of the first form were filled into a mold with a larger volume than the first form and cultured at 28 to 30°C to form a lightweight mycelial material of the second form corresponding to the mold (see Fig. 4).

[0070]

[0071] Experimental Example

[0072] The density of the first type of molded material and the second type of mycelial lightweight material was measured, and the results are shown in Table 1 below, and a cross-sectional photograph of the second type of mycelial lightweight material is shown in Fig. 5.

[0073] Classification: Material of Type 1, Mycelium of Type 2, Lightweight Material, Density (g / cm³) 0.25 0.04

[0074] Referring to Table 1 and Figure 5, it is confirmed that a lightweight mycelium material formed into a second form by filling a mold with a first-form material formed from a first-form mycelium cultured according to the present invention and culturing it secondarily allows mycelium to grow between the first-form materials to form a network, thereby connecting and solidifying the first-form materials, and significantly lowering the density of the material by minimizing the amount of mycelium used between the first-form materials, so that a lightweight material having a density of 0.04 g / cm³ can be provided, which is significantly lower than when the first-form material is used as the final material (0.25 g / cm³).

[0075]

[0076] The preferred embodiments of the present invention described above are disclosed to solve technical problems, and those skilled in the art to which the present invention belongs may make various modifications, changes, and additions within the spirit and scope of the present invention, and such modifications and changes should be considered to fall within the scope of the following claims.

[0077] [Deposit Certificate: Heri-8_Translation]

[0078]

[0079] [Deposit Certificate: Heri-17_Translation]

[0080]

[0081] [Deposit Certificate: Heri-23_Translation]

[0082]

[0083] [Deposit Certificate: Heri-27_Translation]

[0084]

[0085] [Deposit Certificate: Heri-32_Translation]

[0086]

Claims

1. A lightweight mycelial material formed by a first form of material, which is formed by primary culture of a mycelium inoculated with a mushroom strain inoculum in a culture medium, and secondary culture in a mold having a larger volume than the first form, thereby forming a second form corresponding to the mold.

2. In Paragraph 1, A lightweight mycelial material characterized by the fact that the above mushrooms are one or more species selected from the group consisting of Ganoderma lucidum, Antrodiella zonata, Fomitella fraxinea, and Perenniporia fraxinea.

3. In Paragraph 2, A lightweight mycelial material characterized by the above strain being one or more selected from the group consisting of the Ganoderma lucidum strain deposited under accession number KACC 83090BP, the Antrodiella zonata strain deposited under accession number KACC 83093BP, the Fomitella fraxinea strain deposited under accession number KACC 83094BP, the Perenniporia fraxinea strain deposited under accession number KACC 83101BP, and the Perenniporia fraxinea strain deposited under accession number KACC 83096BP.

4. In Paragraph 1, The above mycelial material is a lightweight mycelial material characterized by having a density of less than 0.1 g / cm³.

5. In Paragraph 1, A lightweight mycelial material characterized in that the above-mentioned mycelial material is a packaging material for a product.

6. In Paragraph 1, A lightweight mycelial material characterized in that the above mycelial material is a buoy. 7.(a) A step of culturing a strain to prepare it as an inoculum; (b) a step of mixing the above inoculum into a culture medium and performing a first culture; (c) A step of forming a first type of material with the above-mentioned primary cultured mycelium; (d) a step of secondary cultivation by filling a plurality of materials of the first form into a mold having a larger volume than the first form; and (e) a step of growing mycelia between the first type of material to form a second type of mycelial material corresponding to the mold; A method for manufacturing a lightweight mycelial material including 8. In Paragraph 7, A method for manufacturing a lightweight mycelial material, characterized in that the above step (a) comprises the step of culturing the strain on a solid medium (PDA) to cultivate the mycelium.

9. In Paragraph 7, A method for manufacturing a lightweight mycelial material, characterized in that the above step (a) is performed at 26 to 32°C for 5 to 7 days.

10. In Paragraph 7, A method for manufacturing a lightweight mycelial material, characterized in that, in step (b) above, the culture medium comprises sawdust and wheat bran.

11. In Paragraph 10, A method for manufacturing a lightweight mycelial material, characterized in that step (b) above is performed under conditions of 26 to 32°C in a medium in which the sawdust and wheat bran are mixed in a volume ratio of 5 to 15:

1.

12. In Paragraph 7, A method for manufacturing a lightweight mycelial material, characterized in that, in step (c) above, the molding is performed by crushing the primary cultured mycelium and filling the crushed mycelium into a mold.

13. In Paragraph 7, A method for manufacturing a lightweight mycelial material, characterized in that the above step (d) is performed under conditions of 26 to 32℃.

Images