Auto-fill Inoculation Apparatus for Liquid Mycelium Culture
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for inoculating liquid culture into spawn bags are prone to contamination and uneven inoculation rates due to the use of single-use needle syringes, which require frequent refilling and can disrupt temperature control, leading to inefficiencies in mycelium colonization.
Innovation Solution
An inoculation apparatus with an auto-fill syringe system, temperature regulation, and aeration, allowing for serial inoculation of multiple spawn bags without manual refilling, using a vessel with a male keg fitting and a self-healing elastomer injection port, and a nozzle with angled holes for simultaneous multiple streams of mycelium liquid culture.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If single use needle syringes are used for inoculation, then ease of operation is improved, but contamination risk increases and productivity decreases due to frequent refilling
Solution Approach 1:
The syringe system is designed to automatically refill from the culture vessel through a connection line, eliminating the need for manual refilling operations. The system serves itself by maintaining continuous connection between the culture source and injection device, thereby reducing contamination risk while preserving ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
A connection line acts as an intermediary between the culture vessel and syringe, providing a sterile fluid pathway that enables continuous inoculation without breaking sterile technique. This intermediary component allows the system to maintain reliability while supporting ease of operation.
2Ease of operation
If single use needle syringes are used for inoculation, then ease of operation is improved, but productivity decreases due to frequent refilling time
Solution Approach 1:
The system maintains continuous useful action by keeping the syringe permanently connected to the culture vessel through a connection line, enabling uninterrupted inoculation of multiple spawn bags. The auto-fill mechanism ensures the syringe is continuously replenished, eliminating idle refilling time and maximizing productivity while maintaining operational simplicity.
3Productivity
If larger syringes are used to reduce refilling frequency, then productivity is improved, but handling difficulty increases and temperature control worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the inoculation function into two parts: a large culture vessel for bulk culture maintenance and a smaller syringe for precise injection operations. This segmentation allows the large vessel to maintain temperature and the small syringe to remain easy to handle, while the connection line integrates both functions for high productivity.
4Ease of operation
If constant refilling of syringes is performed, then ease of operation is maintained, but temperature control of mycelial liquid culture deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The syringe system serves itself by automatically drawing culture from the vessel through the connection line, eliminating manual removal and replacement operations. This self-service mechanism prevents temperature fluctuations in the culture vessel while maintaining ease of operation during inoculation.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution enables efficient, contamination-free, and temperature-controlled inoculation of multiple spawn bags with consistent inoculation rates, improving the colonization process and reducing handling issues.
Implementation Method 1
aeration means disposed in the draft column
Implementation Method 2
a temperature regulating means connected between the air pump and the aeration means
Implementation Method 3
The injection port may comprise an aperture covered by a self-healing elastomer
Data Source
AI summary
An inoculation apparatus is provided. The inoculation apparatus includes a vessel for containing liquid mycelium culture having: an outlet port; an injection port; and a breather port. The inoculation apparatus also includes an auto-fill syringe having a nozzle and an inlet port; a connection line with a first end connecting to the outlet port and a second end connecting to the inlet port; and an injection means connected to the nozzle. Related methods are also provided.