GROWTIME would like to inform all of their customers (both current and future) that their headquarters has a new location.

"In our new location we have the office and production facilities where the innovative products for mushroom farms are being created.
Amongst the products we are especially proud to demonstrate here our flagship mushroom picking trolleys, known for its efficiency and durability".

They like to welcome you anytime at the address:
ul. Lotnicza 21, 86-300 Grudziądz, Poland





  

What is the absolute moisture content of the air? Or the enthalpy of the air? More and more growers have a handy app that reads out these values. I always ask: “What do you do with this data?” I don’t always get an answer. Because it’s not about the numbers. The best way to understand this is to use a sponge as an example. It’s much clear and you can combine it with the Mollier diagram. Use this link to download the coloured Mollier diagram (pdf).

The truffle is a tuberous fungus that grows underground, on the roots of various tree species such as oak, poplar, or hazelnut bushes. Truffles grow from truffle spores that are spread by insects and maggots, among other things. Furthermore, the truffle also uses the nutrients of plants and trees.

The truffle looks like an irregular tuber with a diameter of a few centimeters. Pigs and wild boars love truffles and are therefore used to search for truffles. Due to the fact that these animals have usually already eaten half the truffles and cause a lot of damage, dogs are now also trained to search for truffles.

Truffles are very expensive. This is because the truffle cannot be grown, but must be sought. It's a real delicacy and comes therefore with a price. Truffles come in many varieties and each truffle has its own season. The season of the white and black truffle runs from November to January and the summer truffle from March to October.

Truffles also have health benefits. Some varieties contain antioxidants and white truffles are also said to have anti-inflammatory properties. They are full of phosphorus, calcium and protein. They contain hardly any fat and they are naturally sugar-free.

So truffles come with a price tag, but they are well worth it. Because they are so aromatic, you only need a little bit. Truffles are often used in Italian dishes. The taste of the truffle can be described as unique!

Mushrooms complement almost any everyday meal — from appetizers and salads to main dishes and sides, mushrooms can be enjoyed in so many ways. Find some of Mushroom Council's best tips and tricks for mushroom preparation here.

Select mushrooms that are firm with a fresh, smooth appearance. The surfaces of the mushroom should be dry, but not dried out, and appear plump.

Store mushrooms in original packaging or in a porous paper bag for prolonged shelf life. Some mushrooms may keep for up to one week in the refrigerator.

Brush off any debris from mushrooms with fingers or a damp paper towel, or rinse briefly under running water and pat dry with a paper towel. If the mushroom stem is tough, trim it before using.

Sear mushrooms for a more intense roasted, charred and smoky flavor and overall aroma. Roast mushrooms to get more sweet, salty and umami tastes with caramelized, nutty and buttery flavors.

Mushrooms are naturally low in sodium plus their umami counter-balances saltiness so less salt can be used in a dish without compromising flavor.

Meaty mushrooms are low in calories, fat-free and can be a delicious substitute for higher-calorie ingredients.

The Blend™ combines meat with finely chopped mushrooms so you can enjoy reduced-calorie versions of the recipes you love like burgers, lasagna, meatloaf and meatballs, without sacrificing taste or texture.

 The Blend™ enhances flavor, helps reduce calorie, fat, and sodium intake, and adds important nutrients like vitamin D, B vitamins, antioxidants and potassium (8%) to the plate.

Source: Mushroom Council

AURORA, Colo., March 31, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- MycoTechnology, Inc., the world's leading explorer of mushroom mycelia, has set its sights on achieving global scale and realizing its innovation pipeline after securing a funding injection of $85 million. The recently concluded Series E fundraise represents the Colorado-based company's largest single round of financing since it was established in 2013, bringing total fundraising to-date to more than $200 million.

This new investment will allow MycoTechnology to further capitalize on its proprietary fermentation platform, continuing to impact food and nutrition around the world. The company is now positioned to bring its unique product portfolio to even more consumers globally, with a focus on expanding in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.

The Series E round was led by a group affiliated with the Oman Investment Authority (OIA), a sovereign wealth fund and first-time investor in the business. Their sights are set on major collaborations around food security and sustainability. In addition to OIA, the Series E funding round attracted several new investors, including Nourish Ventures (Griffith Foods' venture capital group), Rage Capital, Alphacy Investment, and Siddhi Capital. Also contributing were returning investors S2G Ventures, Tyson Ventures, Continental Grain Company, Bunge Ventures, Maple Leaf Foods, Evolution VC Partners, and Gaingels.

Please read the full article here.

Source: CISION PR Newwire, news provided by MycoTechnology, Inc

Oakfield Champignons BV wants to grow exotic mushrooms as sustainably and circularly as possible. This starts at CNC Grondstoffen where the substrate is produced and ends at a cow shed where the residual flows are used as bedding.

Exotic mushrooms are increasingly appearing on retail shelves. For example, Albert Heijn has included king oyster mushrooms from mushroom grower Oakfield Champignons in its range.

The process from the formation of the substrate to the harvest of the mushrooms can be seen in below video (in Dutch).

Original Dutch article

Oakfield en CNC vinden duurzame route in exotische paddenstoelen

Oakfield Champignons BV wil de kweek van exotische paddenstoelen zo duurzaam en circulair mogelijk uitvoeren. Dat begint bij CNC Grondstoffen waar het substraat wordt geproduceerd en eindigt bij een koeienstal waar de reststromen als bedding worden gebruikt.

Exotische paddenstoelen duiken steeds vaker op in de schappen van de retail. Zo heeft Albert Heijn koningsoesterzwammen van paddenstoelenkweker Oakfield Champignons opgenomen in het assortiment.

Het proces vanaf de vorming van het substraat tot de oogst van de paddenstoelen is te zien in deze video.

Source: ‘Food & Agribusiness/Misset Doetinchem’.

If there is one thing that excites Josh Peitzman, it’s the promise of rain.

A saturated forest floor is a fungal breeding ground, and Peitzman, 24, spends much of his free time post-rain on the hunt for mushrooms to identify. It’s become second nature for him to walk through Granger's Jester Park, eyes on the ground or in the nooks and crannies of trees, in search of something new to discover.

For a time, this hobby — which began five years ago — was just that. The self-taught mycologist foraged and identified, learned the taxonomic names of the species he’d uncover and eventually started tinkering with mushroom grow kits and still air boxes. Soon, however, he began picturing a future beyond his dishwashing job at Wasabi in Ankeny — a future in which he’d cultivate his own mushroom farm and fulfill a longstanding dream of following in his grandfather’s farming footsteps.

That mushroom farm, Fungi Fresh Farms, is now a reality. With support from investor-turned-business partner Jerrod Appenzeller, Peitzman is determined to grow the largest gourmet mushroom farm in central Iowa in a renovated shipping container in Grimes. Just months into production, Peitzman and Appenzeller are harvesting 50 to 100 pounds of specialty mushrooms per week for local farmers markets, restaurants and CSAs (community supported agriculture farm operations), but the two say it is just the start.

Please read the full article here.

Source: Des Moines Register

A fungi expert investigates

Nearly all of Earth’s organisms communicate with each other in one way or another, from the nods and dances and squeaks and bellows of animals, through to the invisible chemical signals emitted by plant leaves and roots. But what about fungi? Are mushrooms as inanimate as they seem – or is something more exciting going on beneath the surface?

New research by computer scientist Andrew Adamatzky at the Unconventional Computing Laboratory of the University of the West of England, suggests this ancient kingdom has an electrical “language” all of its own – far more complicated than anyone previously thought. According to the study, fungi might even use “words” to form “sentences” to communicate with neighbours.

Almost all communication within and between multi-cellular animals involves highly specialised cells called nerves (or neurones). These transmit messages from one part of an organism to another via a connected network called a nervous system. The “language” of the nervous system comprises distinctive patterns of spikes of electrical potential (otherwise known as impulses), which help creatures detect and respond rapidly to what’s going on in their environment.

Despite lacking a nervous system, fungi seem to transmit information using electrical impulses across thread-like filaments called hyphae. The filaments form a thin web called a mycelium that links fungal colonies within the soil. These networks are remarkably similar to animal nervous systems. By measuring the frequency and intensity of the impulses, it may be possible to unpick and understand the languages used to communicate within and between organisms across the kingdoms of life.

Using tiny electrodes, Adamatzky recorded the rhythmic electrical impulses transmitted across the mycelium of four different species of fungi.

He found that the impulses varied by amplitude, frequency and duration. By drawing mathematical comparisons between the patterns of these impulses with those more typically associated with human speech, Adamatzky suggests they form the basis of a fungal language comprising up to 50 words organised into sentences. The complexity of the languages used by the different species of fungi appeared to differ, with the split gill fungus (Schizophyllum commune) using the most complicated lexicon of those tested.

The split gill fungus is common in rotting wood and is reported to have more than 28,000 sexes.
Bernard Spragg/Wikipedia

This raises the possibility that fungi have their own electrical language to share specific information about food and other resources nearby, or potential sources of danger and damage, between themselves or even with more distantly connected partners.

Underground communication networks

This isn’t the first evidence of fungal mycelia transmitting information.

Mycorrhizal fungi – near-invisible thread-like fungi that form intimate partnerships with plant roots – have extensive networks in the soil that connect neighbouring plants. Through these associations, plants usually gain access to nutrients and moisture supplied by the fungi from the tiniest of pores within the soil. This vastly expands the area that plants can draw sustenance from and boosts their tolerance of drought. In return, the plant transfers sugars and fatty acids to the fungi, meaning both benefit from the relationship.

The mycelium of mycorrhizal fungi enable symbiotic relationships with plants.
KYTan/Shutterstock

Experiments using plants connected only by mycorrhizal fungi have shown that when one plant within the network is attacked by insects, the defence responses of neighbouring plants activate too. It seems that warning signals are transmitted via the fungal network.

Other research has shown that plants can transmit more than just information across these fungal threads. In some studies, it appears that plants, including trees, can transfer carbon-based compounds such as sugars to neighbours. These transfers of carbon from one plant to another via fungal mycelia could be particularly helpful in supporting seedlings as they establish. This is especially the case when those seedlings are shaded by other plants and so limited in their abilities to photosynthesise and fix carbon for themselves.

Exactly how these underground signals are transmitted remains a matter of some debate though. It is possible the fungal connections carry chemical signals from one plant to another within the hyphae themselves, in a similar way to how the electrical signals featured in the new research are transmitted. But it is also possible that signals become dissolved in a film of water held in place and moved across the network by surface tension. Alternatively, other microorganisms could be involved. Bacteria in and around fungal hyphae might change the composition of their communities or function in response to changing root or fungal chemistry and induce a response in neighbouring fungi and plants.

The new research showing transmission of language-like electrical impulses directly along fungal hyphae provides new clues about how messages are conveyed by fungal mycelium.

Mushroom for debate?

Although interpreting the electrical spiking in fungal mycelia as a language is appealing, there are alternative ways to look at the new findings.

The rhythm of electrical pulses bears some similarity to how nutrients flow along fungal hyphae, and so may reflect processes within fungal cells that are not directly related to communication. The rhythmic pulses of nutrients and electricity may reveal the patterns of fungal growth as the organism explores its surroundings for nutrients.

Of course, the possibility remains that the electrical signals do not represent communication in any form at all. Rather, charged hyphal tips passing the electrode could have generated the spikes in activity observed in the study.

What on Earth are they talking about?
Katie Field, Author provided

More research is clearly needed before we can say with any certainty what the electrical impulses detected in this study mean. What we can take from the research is that electrical spikes are, potentially, a new mechanism for transmitting information across fungal mycelia, with important implications for our understanding of the role and significance of fungi in ecosystems.

These results could represent the first insights into fungal intelligence, even consciousness. That’s a very big “could”, but depending on the definitions involved, the possibility remains, though it would seem to exist on time scales, frequencies and magnitudes not easily perceived by humans.

Katie Field, Professor in Plant-Soil Processes, University of Sheffield

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.