Characterization of Fungal Foams from Edible Mushrooms Using Different Agricultural Wastes as Substrates for Packaging Material

Agricultural wastes and leaves, which are classified as lignocellulosic biomass, have been used as substrates in the production of fungal foams due to the significant growth of the mushroom industry in recent years. Foam derived from fungi can be utilized in a variety of industrial applications, including the production of packaging materials. Here, white oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus florida) and yellow oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus citrinopileatus) were cultivated on rice husk, sawdust, sugarcane bagasse, and teak leaves. Fungal foams were produced after 30 days of incubation, which were then analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermal analysis (TGA), and chemical structure using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. Mechanical testing examined the material’s hardness, resilience, and springiness, and water absorption tests were used to determine the durability of the fungal foams. Our findings demonstrated that fungal foams made from rice husk and teak leaves in both mycelium species showed better mechanical properties, thermal stability, and minimal water absorption compared to the other substrates, and can thus have great potential as efficient packaging materials

Effects of different biomass on the properties of

Plastic waste and polyurethane foam are major sources of pollution that threatens environments’ biodiversity. The objective of the study is to create an eco-friendly foam from Pleorotus djamor mycelium, rice husk and sugarcane bagasse. The mushroom industry’s overabundance of materials, like oyster mushrooms and biomass, has provided an alternative method to make foam that could be beneficial for the environment. The biomass, consisting of rice husk and sugarcane bagasse, both of which are necessary for the production of foam, was evaluated as a substrate. Pleurotus djamor was inoculated on both substrates and test was done on both produced foams. Mechanical tests showed that rice husk foam had higher hardness and less springy than sugarcane bagasse foam. The morphology of both foams was analyzed using a scanning electron microscope (SEM), and the results show that sugarcane bagasse foam is denser than rice husk foam