(Flammulina velutipes), lion’s mane (Hericium erinaceus) and nameko (Pholiota microspora). Mushrooms are produced in the sterile bottle system or plastic bag (only for shiitake) in fully climate-controlled rooms. The substrate consists of a 2:1 blend of eucalyptus and pine sawdusts, pre-wetted in a dunking tank with additions of wheat bran, corn meal and soya meal depending on the species. Calcium carbonate is added at 1kg/tonne substrate. The substrate is sterilized in the bottles in large autoclaves. Bottles are inoculated with a ‘spawn’ culture, prepared using a mother culture obtained from different countries. The bottles are capped during the mycelium colonisation phase and opened to encourage fruiting. Black oyster mushrooms are picked at a small size which makes them suitable for sushi in Japanese restaurants. Larger oyster mushrooms receive a lower price. One flush is harvested before the bottles are emptied and recycled. The spent substrates are dried before being used as energy source in an on-site incinerator.
Bela Horta, Mogi das Cruzes The farm was set up 40 years ago by the current owner Mario Chen. The farm produces around 22 tonnes of white oyster mushroom - Pleurotus ostreatus var. Florida - each week and employs 50 workers. Production is in bags placed on shelves in open growing rooms without climate control. The substrate consists of a 4:1 mix of sugar cane bagasse and wheat straw with additions of wheat bran, corn meal and soya meal depending on availability, as well as calcium carbonate. Sugar cane bagasse is obtained for transport cost ($70 per tonne delivered) whereas wheat straw costs $140 per tonne delivered. The bagasse: straw blend is wetted in a dunking area with a front-end loader and filled into 50 tonne pasteurisation tunnels which have a spigot floor high pressure aeration system. The mix is largely self-heating, requiring only a limited amount of steam in some batches to achieve pasteurisation at 60 – 70°C followed by conditioning at 50°C for four days. Spawn is added at 2% w/w to the substrate when bags are filled with 7 kg spawned substrate using an Italian bagging machine. Spawn is obtained from two Brazilian suppliers. The bags have many holes to encourage production of large numbers of small fruitbodies. Four flushes of mushrooms are harvested. Sciarid flies are a big problem and there is some loss in bags due to contamination with ink caps (Coprinus species). Nematodes are not approved for mushroom fly control in Brazil. The main market for the oyster mushrooms is Asian restaurants in the Sao Paulo area. The company also markets black oyster, shiitake and button mushrooms produced by other growers.
Lion’s mane (Hericium erinaceus).
Black oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus).
White oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus var. Florida).
Isabela Chen
and Diego Zied inspect the sugar cane bagasse.
MUSHROOM BUSINESS 35
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52
