Difference between revisions of "Mycelium Leather"
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The dutch company Ecovative grows Reishi mycelium into the air, separates it from the substrate and compresses it to make leather. I try to recreate this procedure. | The dutch company Ecovative grows Reishi mycelium into the air, separates it from the substrate and compresses it to make leather. I try to recreate this procedure. | ||
| − | + | == Literature == | |
| − | + | === Growth environment === | |
| − | + | === Growth substrates === | |
| − | + | == My own experiments == | |
| − | + | === First test in a monotub === | |
First I made grain spawn out of bird seeds. Then I sterilized a box with rubbing alcohol, lined the bottom with a clean plastic film and spread sterilized substrate made of 0.75l hardwood pellets, 0.2l wheat bran and 0.75l water onto the film. I distributed some grain spawn on top of it, closed the box and waited. | First I made grain spawn out of bird seeds. Then I sterilized a box with rubbing alcohol, lined the bottom with a clean plastic film and spread sterilized substrate made of 0.75l hardwood pellets, 0.2l wheat bran and 0.75l water onto the film. I distributed some grain spawn on top of it, closed the box and waited. | ||
[[File:First day in the monotub.jpg|thumb|After one day, the mycelium already comes out of the grain spawn.]] | [[File:First day in the monotub.jpg|thumb|After one day, the mycelium already comes out of the grain spawn.]] | ||
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[[File:Prototype leather.jpg|thumb|My first try to do mycelium leather]] | [[File:Prototype leather.jpg|thumb|My first try to do mycelium leather]] | ||
I let it dry and peeled it off the substrate. It was fused with the chunks of grain spawn, so I didn't get one big tissue but many small pieces, the biggest one shown in the picture. Depending on how much it was crushed it feels like paper (but more fragile) or like a very soft, light and flexible tissue. It is very thin and rips apart easily. | I let it dry and peeled it off the substrate. It was fused with the chunks of grain spawn, so I didn't get one big tissue but many small pieces, the biggest one shown in the picture. Depending on how much it was crushed it feels like paper (but more fragile) or like a very soft, light and flexible tissue. It is very thin and rips apart easily. | ||
| − | ==== Experimenting with substrates in petri dishes | + | |
| + | ==== What to improve ==== | ||
| + | The grain spawn should be broken into smaller pieces using disposable gloves, and evenly mixed with the substrate. Using unpopped popcorn as grains may be a good idea since it doesn't stick together as much as bird seeds. | ||
| + | |||
| + | === Experimenting with substrates in petri dishes === | ||
I filled petri dishes with Agar, malt extract, maizena, yeast extract and gypsum according to the following table. | I filled petri dishes with Agar, malt extract, maizena, yeast extract and gypsum according to the following table. | ||
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" | {| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" | ||
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To accurately measure those values I dissolved the nutrients in water solutions and used a pipetter. However gypsum is not soluble so the quantities may be inaccurate, and Maizena clumped together, so I put clumps of it into the petri dishes. | To accurately measure those values I dissolved the nutrients in water solutions and used a pipetter. However gypsum is not soluble so the quantities may be inaccurate, and Maizena clumped together, so I put clumps of it into the petri dishes. | ||
| − | + | === Heated inoculation chamber === | |
| + | It would be nice to have a chamber that can heat sterilize itself and the substrate, and then keep the temperature constant at 25 or 30° C. I am buying the XH-W1209 thermostat: https://www.berrybase.ch/xh-w1209-digitales-thermostat/temperaturschalter-12v-frei-programmierbar | ||
Revision as of 20:25, 4 May 2023
The dutch company Ecovative grows Reishi mycelium into the air, separates it from the substrate and compresses it to make leather. I try to recreate this procedure.
Literature
Growth environment
Growth substrates
My own experiments
First test in a monotub
First I made grain spawn out of bird seeds. Then I sterilized a box with rubbing alcohol, lined the bottom with a clean plastic film and spread sterilized substrate made of 0.75l hardwood pellets, 0.2l wheat bran and 0.75l water onto the film. I distributed some grain spawn on top of it, closed the box and waited.
The mycelium colonized the surface and grew about 1.5 cm thick as in the pictures. After four days I sprayed water on it to keep it humid, but the droplets crushed the fluffy mycelium and it stopped growing.
I let it dry and peeled it off the substrate. It was fused with the chunks of grain spawn, so I didn't get one big tissue but many small pieces, the biggest one shown in the picture. Depending on how much it was crushed it feels like paper (but more fragile) or like a very soft, light and flexible tissue. It is very thin and rips apart easily.
What to improve
The grain spawn should be broken into smaller pieces using disposable gloves, and evenly mixed with the substrate. Using unpopped popcorn as grains may be a good idea since it doesn't stick together as much as bird seeds.
Experimenting with substrates in petri dishes
I filled petri dishes with Agar, malt extract, maizena, yeast extract and gypsum according to the following table.
| Ingredient | Substrate | Malt | Maizena | Yeast | Gypsum |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Agar | ||||
| 2 | Agar | 0.5 g | |||
| 3 | Agar | 0.05 g | |||
| 4 | Agar | 0.5 g | 0.05 g | ||
| 5 | Agar | 0.5 g | 0.05 g | 0.025g | |
| 6 | Agar | 0.5 g | |||
| 7 | Agar | 0.5 g | 0.05 g | ||
| 8 | Agar | 0.5 g | 0.025g | ||
| 9 | |||||
| 10 | Pellets & Bran | ||||
| 11 | Pellets & Bran | 0.5 g | |||
| 12 | Pellets & Bran | 0.05 g | |||
| 13 | Pellets & Bran | 0.025g |
To accurately measure those values I dissolved the nutrients in water solutions and used a pipetter. However gypsum is not soluble so the quantities may be inaccurate, and Maizena clumped together, so I put clumps of it into the petri dishes.
Heated inoculation chamber
It would be nice to have a chamber that can heat sterilize itself and the substrate, and then keep the temperature constant at 25 or 30° C. I am buying the XH-W1209 thermostat: https://www.berrybase.ch/xh-w1209-digitales-thermostat/temperaturschalter-12v-frei-programmierbar