Periodic Reporting for period 1 - VegWaMus CirCrop (Developing commercial mushroom and vegetable production in an integrated food to waste to food biosystem.)
Berichtszeitraum: 2017-10-01 bis 2019-09-30
The overall objective of VegWaMus CirCrop project was to close the loop between food waste AD and reuse of digestate for mushroom and plant crop cultivation in an integrated food to waste to food biosystem. VegWaMus CirCrop intended at developing a mushroom cultivation substrate based on digestate. The aim was also to explore possibilities of reusing the spent mushroom substrate as an addi-tive for vegetable plant production, creating possibilities for mushroom growers all over the world for sustainable reuse of resources within controlled plant crop production. VegWaMus CirCrop project demonstrated that a circular, zero-waste food production concept is scientifically and commercially feasible.
Circulation of elements from cultivation substrates to mushroom crops was assessed by indicating the bioaccumulation factor (BCF) of more than 60 elements, proving that cultivation on digestate is safe for human consumption. Elemental concentration in mushrooms showed 24 elements were effectively accumulated from substrate to mushrooms of both Agaricus species. Content of determined elements in mushrooms was nevertheless below estimated daily intake (EDI), thus consumption of mushrooms grown on digestate can be considered as safe for human health. Pink oyster mushrooms effectively ac-cumulated 11 elements and can serve as an excellent source of Ca, Mg and Na, Mn, Mo, Ni and Se and Zn. Specification of the profile of 14 phenolic compounds and 9 organic acids showed that both Agari-cus mushrooms are good source of 6 of the organic acids. Almond mushroom was richer in phenolic acids than common button mushroom.
The project has over its duration been disseminated on 10 conferences and fairs, 5 peer reviewed, open access scientific articles has already been published, 3 more are in preparation. Communication to the different target groups were held with 6 presentations, workshops, and seminar, 1 more is planned for 2023, 5 press releases. One start-up advisory and mushroom producing company, SOPPAS, emerged from the action. Action is communicated in social media (4), project websites (2).