It all started when…Fungi have the ability to transform organic materials into a rich and diverse array of useful products that offer opportunities in the face of humanity's challenges.
Fungal biotechnology can promote the transition from our petroleum-based economy to a circular economy capable of sustainably producing resilient sources of food, feed, medicines and therapeutic treatments, chemicals, fuels, textiles, and building materials. These are solutions that can stabilize and improve the food supply for a growing human population, while at the same time reducing greenhouse gas emissions – responsible for the rise in global temperature. Fungal biotechnology therefore has the potential to make a significant contribution to reducing the impacts of the climate emergency we are currently experiencing.
A reduction in meat consumption due to issues of health and sustainability position mushrooms as an alternative superfood.
Mushrooms play a key role for 14% of the Brazilian population that declares itself vegetarian (Ibope, 2018) and requires an extra source of essential amino acids (those that the human body cannot synthesize) due to the presence of bioactive compounds that benefit health, in addition to proteins, carbohydrates, minerals, fiber, and other nutrients.
The global mushroom market was valued at $50.3 billion in 2021 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate of 9.7% from 2022 to 2030. Fungi cultivation is on the rise around the world, and mushrooms are becoming more prevalent in our gastronomy. However, cultivated species cultivated still come from Europe and Asia: Champignon, Shiitake, Shimeji, and Enoki are among the most popular.
Brazilian forests possess a rich diversity of edible species that are still hardly used. At least 52 edible species have been listed in the Amazon region. In the state of São Paulo, at least 90 species of mushrooms are known to be edible.
Researchers from various parts of the world have realized that mycelium, associated with other components, can be used in construction and for the production of packaging to replace petroleum-based polymers and other materials that degrade slowly in the environment.
In Brazil, for example, a start-up called Mush, founded in the Federal Technological University of Paraná, realized that growing these organisms gave rise to rigid blocks while analyzing edible fungi. By combining these fungi with sawdust, residues from corn processing or sugar cane bagasse, they obtained material that resulted in packaging and products for soundproofing environments, replacing traditional foam.
The U.S. space agency Nasa has gone even further by developing a myco-architecture project using prototype technologies for building habitats for humans on the Moon and Mars. According to the agency, bricks already made from genetically modified mycelium, organic waste, and wood chips may just succeed in this endeavor – a technology that could also be used on Earth, helping to reduce carbon emissions from construction.
Photo: Bricks produced by NASA from mycelium that can be used to build habitats on the Moon or Mars. Credit: 2018 Stanford-Brown-RISD iGEM Team
Even when we die we may still have an environmental impact. Due to our modern way of life, our bodies can release at least two hundred chemicals after we die, which harm ecosystems; even burial methods degrade the soil and pollute groundwater. Faced with this challenge, a Dutch company called Loop of life has developed a prototype biodegradable coffin that combines fungus, wood chips or hemp. Once buried, these coffins transform the organic matter into nutrients for the soil. A reminder that we are part of nature, and not apart from it.
The fashion industry is considered the second largest consumer of water and responsible for at least 8% of global carbon emissions, according to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
Added to this is the challenge of recycling the fabrics used for the production of clothes, shoes, and bags. To mitigate such impacts, products are appearing on the market that contain laboratory-grown mycelia transformed into leather. The strength, durability, and biodegradable nature of mushroom-based materials offer an array of ways that fungi could be used. Mycelium leather, for example, is similar to animal skin, making it flexible, elastic, and strong, with excellent return, fit, compression, and insulation. Furthermore, fungi are considered pigment cell factories, with researchers able to experiment with an extraordinary range of colors.