Canadian researchers harness genetic mushroom variations to create packaging material
Researchers at McMaster University in Canada have cultivated a mushroom species that can be used to produce a biodegradable material suitable for use in packaging.
“Mushroom mycelium-based materials offer a sustainable and biodegradable alternative to conventional packaging materials like plastics, styrofoam, and molded fiber,” Jianping Xu, a professor of biology at McMaster University and senior author of the paper, tells Packaging Insights.
Xu explains that materials for different types of packaging, such as protective packaging, food packaging, and insulated shipping, require different properties in their strength, wettability, flexibility, and degradability.
“Our research shows that there is abundant natural genetic variation within individual species such as the common split gill mushroom to allow researchers and companies to explore and develop mycelial materials to fit their potential diverse needs.”
He says that the genetic variations within this and other mushrooms could be used to develop protective packaging to replace styrofoam (plastic foam and custom molded packaging), food packaging (biodegradable trays and edible packaging), insulated shipping, and packaging peanuts.
The versatile filaments of fungi
Jianping Xu, professor of biology at McMaster University and senior author of the paper (Image credit: McMaster University).The study, published in the Journal of Bioresources and Bioproducts, investigates how the natural genetic variation of split gill mushrooms affects the properties of fungal mycelium, the root-like filaments fungi use to grow and feed.
The research team found fungal mycelium structures to be “extremely versatile” and suitable for processing into sustainable materials such as vegan leather and foam alternatives.
“This is the first study to examine how genetic variation within a species could potentially influence material properties so we can tailor materials for specific purposes,” says Xu.
He explains that the approach described in the paper utilizes naturally occurring genetic variations in the properties of mycelial materials within individual mushroom species.
“Because the genetic variations are within a species, they could be recombined in the lab (just like what they do in nature) to generate many different strains with potentially different properties. I believe using natural genetic variations is environmentally preferable over those involving artificially created genes.”
Economically sustainable solution
The split gill mushroom can be found around the world.Xu explains that the mycelium in the split gill mushroom (as well as in many mushrooms) can be grown in large quantities in controlled production facilities, often with agricultural residues as substrates. As the mushrooms are scalable and biodegradable, they can be more economically sustainable than other bio-based materials.
The researchers chose four strains of the split gill mushroom from different parts of the world and bred them to create 12 new strains with different genetic combinations.
This was achieved by growing the strains in liquid to form “fluffy mats of mycelium,” which were then turned into films by soaking them in different conditioners. The soaked films were used to determine that some strains made stronger, heavier, or more flexible films than others “and that there was no single best strain.”
Xu tells us that this study is a proof of concept and not yet close to market application. “We are looking into further fine-tuning the materials properties and understanding the genetic and molecular mechanisms underlying the differences in materials properties between fungal strains.”
