Submerged cultivation of a thermotolerant basidiomycete on cereal flours and other substrates

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Abstract
The imperfect state, Sporotrichum pulverulentum, of thecellulolytic basidiomycete Phanerochaete chrysosporiumhas been grown on barley flour and other agricultural products in shake cultures, in an air‐lift fermentor, and in stirred fermentors. The growth morphology varied with cultivation conditions, but it was possible to maintain heavy suspensions of loosely associated mycelia in fermentors. The fungus can grow in temperatures up to 40°C and use ammonium salts or organic nitrogen sources to convert sugars, starch, pectin, and various seed residues to a biomass containing 30–40% protein with a favorable amino acid composition. Serial cultures were grown on flours under conditions where the larger part of the culture was withdrawn and replaced with new medium every, or every other, day. The mycelia are easy to harvest by filtration and have several properties which make the product attractive as a potential food ingredient.