Mycelial fibers, the fibrous cells found in fruiting mushroom bodies, have gained momentum as a sustainable material for making faux-leather and packaging owing to their excellent formability. Recently, a team of researchers has found a simple way of obtaining mycelial fibers, called ‘mycelial pulp,’ from fruiting mushroom bodies and bleaching them using sunlight while keeping their mycelial structures intact.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
The root-like fruiting bodies of mushrooms, also known as mycelial fibers, have shown promising results as the new age, eco-friendly material for a wide range of consumer and industrial applications.
Many extraction processes tend to give the materials an unwanted color and often destroy their intricate mycelial structures, thereby limiting their nanoscale applications.
Now, a recent ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering paper, made available online on 21 October 2023 and published on 6 November 2023, provides a simple and effective way of obtaining mycelial pulp and fibers from mushrooms without destroying their structure.
“Mushrooms, previously known primarily as a food resource, will now be utilized in everyday household items, allowing people to choose products that are safe, reliable, and environmentally friendly,” says Assistant Professor Satomi Tagawa from the Faculty of Engineering at Shinshu University, who led this study.
Dr. Tagawa and her team members, Dr. Hiroya Nakauchi, recipient of the Research Fellowship for Young Scientists of Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) and Dr. Yoshihiko Amano, Professor at the Faculty of Engineering at Shinshu University, present a novel way of extracting the fibers which ensures that the mycelial structures remain intact.
We believe that further research on such sustainable materials and methods could create new industries, provide employment opportunities, and revitalize local communities," remarksDr.
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"I mean, on paper it looked like the perfect solution: A genetic modified super-fast growing mushroom able to eat many different materials included plastic. And of course didn’t saw ‘the last of us’ series back then… "
