Industrial side streams and underutilized biomass for specialty mushroom cultivation and bread industry

Recent doctoral theses by researchers Marta Cortina Escribano and Marina Fidelis from the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke) explore the potential of circular bioeconomy solutions in the cultivation of valuable specialty mushrooms and in the bread industry.

Forest industry wood residues as growing media for sustainable mushroom cultivation? 

The doctoral dissertation "Selective breeding and taxonomy of laccate Ganoderma species originating from Finland" by Luke’s Research Scientist Marta Cortina Escribano was examined on 13 December 2024 at the University of Eastern Finland.  

Cortina Escribano's research focused on the cultivation of Ganoderma lucidum, using wood by-products from wood processing industries in Finland. Ganoderma lucidum is a specialty mushroom known for its bioactive properties and is one of the most economically important specialty mushroom species in the world.  

The study showed that Ganoderma lucidum can be successfully cultivated using Finnish wood by-products as growing substrates. Substrates based on poplar and birch wood significantly enhanced the growth and production of Finnish strains of Ganoderma lucidum, as well as their β-glucan content. Pine wood did not prove to be ideal for mushroom production, but Ganoderma lucidum was found to have the ability to reduce the lignin content. This result suggests that fermentation using Ganoderma lucidum could serve as a pretreatment for pulping industries.  

The results of Cortina Escribano's doctoral dissertation present a sustainable solution for the cultivation of a valuable specialty mushroom in Finland, using locally available wood sources. The results can support the development of local mushroom production and promote circular economy practices in agriculture and forestry. 

For the scientific community, Cortina Escribano's thesis also provides information on the phenotypic variation and taxonomy of the laccate fungus in Finland. 

Conifer needle extracts to improve the shelf life and structure of bread? 

The doctoral thesis "Valorization of underutilized biomass for biorefinery and food applications: exploring the processing, plant material composition, bioactivity, and fortified bread models" by Luke’s researcher Marina Fidelis was examined on 16 December 2024 at the University of Turku. 

Fidelis' doctoral thesis aimed to address the added value creation from underutilized plant biomass fractions, focusing on biorefinery and food systems through environmentally friendly and industrially feasible processes. 

Fidelis studied different underutilized biomass resources, and conifer-derived green needles were concluded to be the most promising in terms of chemical composition and bioactive propertiese. In this study, green needles and twigs from Norway spruce (Picea abies), red pine (Pinus densiflora), and silver fir (Abies alba) were explored as sustainable ingredients. The impact of needle incorporation at different concentrations was examined in whole wheat bread applications.  

Results indicated that the use of the needle extract in breads improved the shelf life and functional properties of the breads without compromising their nutritional or structural properties. The produced fortified breads were also considered as appealing and attractive to buy, highlighting their potential as bioactive, consumer-friendly products.  

Fidelis' dissertation also provides the scientific community with a wealth of new information on processing methods for underutilized plant biomass resources and the impact of processing on biomass properties.