Plant husbandry – Mushroom culture
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-08
2001-04-10
Campell, Bruce R. (Department: 1661)
Plant husbandry
Mushroom culture
Reexamination Certificate
active
06212822
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD OF INVENTION
The present invention relates to novel culture media for the artificial/industrial cultivation of
Sparassis crispa
(
Sparassis crispa
Wulf:Fr) and methods for producing the same.
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
Sparassis crispa
have been conveniently used in French cuisine because of their excellent texture, their brilliant white color and in particular their unique form resembling
Brassica oleracea. Sparassis crispa
is generally referred to in Japanese as “Hanabiratake” and is also occasionally called “Hanabira-maitake” because it grows well on the larch tree.
Very little natural
Sparassis crispa
is harvested and the growth rate thereof is terribly slow. It has therefore been understood in the art that the artificial/industrial cultivation of
Sparassis crispa
is not easy. The present inventor had repeatedly tried to cultivate
Sparassis crispa
by inoculating their strain (seed strain) into a culture medium consisting of larch-tree sawdust as the main ingredient along with the various nutrition, but four (4) months were usually necessary to grow the mature
Sparassis crispa
having the ideal form like
Brassica oleracea
. Using known culture media, the present inventor could not realize artificial/industrial cultivation of
Sparassis crispa.
On the other hand, with respect to the larch tree, there is a huge amount of useless chips produced by thinning young larch trees. Forests of larch trees are widely distributed in many mountainous regions in Japan, and large amounts of larch-tree chips are usually produced through thinning of the larch tree forest to maintain the proper growth thereof. There is currently no use for such chips other than as a pine stake.
Unfortunately, the disadvantages realized in the conventional cultivation of
Sparassis crispa
have not been solved yet, and therefore there exists a need in the art for method(s) and means for shortening the cultivation period of
Sparassis crispa.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
The present invention is directed to solving such disadvantages. The invention is directed to the pretreatment of larch-tree sawdust or chips, to be employed in the present culture medium, comprising a step of heating them in the presence of water and removing therefrom hot-water-soluble components.
The present inventor realized through his research on
Sparassis crispa
that any growth thereof was not observed in broad-leafed trees while such growth was observed in conifer trees, generally in relatively rotten larch trees. This indicates that some component(s) of the coniferous trees may be essential for growth and germination of
Sparassis crispa
mycelium, but some components of fresh conifers may act to inhibit the growth and germination of
Sparassis crispa
mycelium. In nature, such components act as inhibitors that might be eluted slowly through exposure of larch trees to wind and/or rain or through decay thereof in the soil. Thus, such components act as inhibitors that have to be removed to realize an artificial/industrial cultivation of
Sparassis crispa.
Generally, the solubility of liquid or solid components in water is increased at a higher temperature. Accordingly, the natural condition of rotting larch trees is simulated in the industrial cultivation to effect the elution of the inhibitor by water. That is to say, culture medium was prepared by treating larch-tree sawdust or chips with hot water, removing therefrom hot-water-soluble components, and adding nutrition thereto. According to the present culture medium, mature
Sparassis crispa
can be grown within about 2.5 months cultivation.
The present invention provides a novel culture medium for artificial/industrial cultivation of
Sparassis crispa
produced by heating a mixture comprising larch-tree sawdust or chips as the main ingredient in the presence of water, removing therefrom hot-water-soluble components, and adding nutrition thereto.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The detailed description of the present invention is set forth as follows.
The present culture medium comprises larch-tree sawdust or chips as a main ingredient. As an extender, besides sawdust or chips of the other types of trees, any organic or inorganic material may also be used optionally. The amount of such extender to be added to the medium is not limited as long as growth-inhibitors and/or toxic/dangerous components are not eluted into the medium.
According to the preferred method of making the present culture medium, first, the raw medium comprising as a main ingredient larch-tree sawdust and/or chips, or a mixture of the raw medium and the extender is prepared. Such raw medium or the mixture is then heated in the presence of water. This step is performed preferably with water at about 100° C. or vapor at about 130° C. under a pressure of about atmospheric pressure or above, for example, up to about five atmospheres. Treatment (heating) time can be shortened by increasing the water temperature and/or the pressure.
Then, nutrition and, if necessary, pH adjustor, is/are supplemented into the culture medium so produced. The nutrition may include any of those containing nitrogen, proteins, carbohydrates, minerals or the like, or a combination thereof For industrial cultivation of
Sparassis crispa
, industrial waste can also be utilized preferably. The industrial waste may include preferably, for example, brewer's grain.
The culture medium containing the nutrition is sterilized by heating it and is then cooled. A strain of
Sparassis crispa
is inoculated into the medium so prepared. The culture medium thus inoculated is left at a temperature of about 25° C. for about 1.5 months. Upon forming a
Sparassis crispa
fruit-body primordium, the culture medium is transferred into a culture chamber. Mature
Sparassis crispa
are then be harvested by keeping the medium in the chamber for about one month under a relative humidity of about 90% to about 95%.
Sparassis crispa
is very popular due to its brilliant white color, its unique form resembling
Brassica oleracea
, its excellent texture without any unacceptable taste, and in particular its long shelf-life. According to the present invention, the artificial/industrial cultivation of such
Sparassis crispa
can be realized and provided.
It has been quite difficult to cultivate
Sparassis crispa
in the summer because of the relatively high required temperature of from about 20 to about 28° C. for forming its fruit-body primordium. However, according to the present invention, it is possible to cultivate
Sparassis crispa
in the summer by, for example, applying mist thereto and reducing the temperature by the heat of vaporization (about 6 to about 7° C. reduction). Thereby,
Sparassis crispa
can be provided throughout the year without idling cultivation facilities.
Further, according to the other preferred embodiment of the present invention, utilization of chips produced by thinning larch trees can now be offered.
REFERENCES:
patent: S57-155218 (1982-09-01), None
patent: 3-81526 (1991-03-01), None
Campell Bruce R.
Marshall O'Toole Gerstein Murray & Borun
Mitsuwa Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
Para Annette H.
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