Cultivation of mycelium of the edible fungus Pleurotus ostreatus (oyster mushroom) with the use of wet sparging grain, the waste of the brewing industry.

From the paper

Abstract

Wet sparging grain, a waste product of brewery, was shown to be successfully utilized as a supplement to the nutrient media and substrates for both isolation of the vegetative mycelium of the Pleurotus ostreatus mushroom, as well as for its further recovery and growing the carposomes. We studied the influence of the wet sparging grain on mycelium growth. Cultivation results demonstrated that wet sparging grain is an efficient additional component to the minimal agarized nutrient media for P. ostreatus growth and isolation and to its common fruit body cultivation substrates. Even the depleted agaric media and substrates with addition of the sparging grain allowed intensive growth of the P. ostreatus mycelium and its fructifying. Practical Application: Addition of wet sparging grain to poor cheap substrates increases their quality for rearing the edible oyster mushroom mycelium to the level of reach substrates, and allows utilization of agricultural wastes. The technique is ready for application and patented in the Russian Federation.