Water Quality Assessment and Decolourisation of Contaminated Ex-Mining Lake Water Using Bioreactor Dye-Eating Fungus (BioDeF) System: A Real Case Study.

The environmental conditions of a lake are influenced by its type and various environmental forces such as water temperature, nutrients content, and longitude and latitude to which it is exposed. Due to population growth and development limits, former mining lakes are being converted to more lucrative land uses like those of recreational zones, agriculture, and livestock. The fungus Ganoderma lucidum has the potential to be utilised as a substitute or to perform synergistic bacteria-coupled functions in efficient contaminated lake water treatment. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the water quality and water quality index (WQI) of an ex-mining lake named Main Lake in the Paya Indah Wetland, Selangor. Furthermore, the current work simulates the use of a Malaysian fungus in decolourising the contaminated ex-mining lake by the BioDeF system in a 300 mL jar inoculated with 10% (v/v) of pre-grown Ganoderma lucidum pellets for 48 h. According to the results, the lake water is low in pH (5.49 ± 0.1 on average), of a highly intense dark brownish colour (average reading of 874.67 ± 3.7 TCU), and high in iron (Fe) content (3.2422 ± 0.2533 mg/L). The water quality index of the lake was between 54.59 and 57.44, with an average value of 56.45; thus, the water was categorized as Class III, i.e., under-polluted water, according to the Malaysian Department of Environment Water Quality Index (DOE-WQI, DOE 2020). The batch bioreactor BioDeF system significantly reduced more than 90% of the water's colour. The utilization of Ganoderma lucidum as an adsorbent material offers a variety of advantages, as it is easily available and cultivated, and it is not toxic.

A narrative action on the battle against hunger using mushroom, peanut, and soybean-based wastes.

Numerous generations have been affected by hunger, which still affects hundreds of millions of people worldwide. The hunger crisis is worsening although many efforts have been made to minimize it. Besides that, food waste is one of the critical problems faced by most countries worldwide. It has disrupted the food chain system due to inefficient waste management, while negatively impacting the environment. The majority of the waste is from the food production process, resulting in a net zero production for food manufacturers while also harnessing its potential. Most food production wastes are high in nutritional and functional values, yet most of them end up as low-cost animal feed and plant fertilizers. This review identified key emerging wastes from the production line of mushroom, peanut, and soybean (MPS). These wastes (MPS) provide a new source for food conversion due to their high nutritional content, which contributes to a circular economy in the post-pandemic era and ensures food security. In order to achieve carbon neutrality and effective waste management for the production of alternative foods, biotechnological processes such as digestive, fermentative, and enzymatic conversions are essential. The article provides a narrative action on the critical potential application and challenges of MPS as future foods in the battle against hunger.

Role of ascomycete and basidiomycete fungi in meeting established and emerging sustainability opportunities: a review.

Fungal biomass is the future's feedstock. Non-septate Ascomycetes and septate Basidiomycetes, famously known as mushrooms, are sources of fungal biomass. Fungal biomass, which on averagely comprises about 34% protein and 45% carbohydrate, can be cultivated in bioreactors to produce affordable, safe, nontoxic, and consistent biomass quality. Fungal-based technologies are seen as attractive, safer alternatives, either substituting or complementing the existing standard technology. Water and wastewater treatment, food and feed, green technology, innovative designs in buildings, enzyme technology, potential health benefits, and wealth production are the key sectors that successfully reported high-efficiency performances of fungal applications. This paper reviews the latest technical know-how, methods, and performance of fungal adaptation in those sectors. Excellent performance was reported indicating high potential for fungi utilization, particularly in the sectors, yet to be utilized and improved on the existing fungal-based applications. The expansion of fungal biomass in the industrial-scale application for the sustainability of earth and human well-being is in line with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals.

Subject-based thematic review of fungal biomass usage and developmentPractical application of fungal biomass aligns with 3 Sustainable Development GoalsHigh performance is reported in medical, water management, buildings, and biofuel fieldsFungal biomass is the lucrative, essential, and future's way forward.

In vivo toxicity of bioreactor-grown biomass and exopolysaccharides from Malaysian tiger milk mushroom mycelium for potential future health applications.

Natural mycelial biomass (MB) and exopolysaccharides (EPS) of Malaysian tiger milk mushroom Lignosus rhinocerus are considered high-end components due to their high commercial potential value in drug discovery. This study aims to evaluate the toxicity of the mushroom extracts' generated in a bioreactor using the zebrafish embryo toxicity (ZFET) model assay as a new therapy for treating asthma. Both MB and EPS extracts, at concentrations 0.16-10 mg/mL, were tested for ZFET and early development effects on Zebrafish Embryos (ZE) during 24-120 h post-fertilisation (HPF). Findings revealed that MB was deemed safe with an LC50 of 0.77 mg/mL; the EPS were non-toxic (LC50 of 0.41 mg/mL). Neither MB nor EPS delayed hatching nor teratogenic defects in the treated ZE at a 2.5 mg/mL dose. There were no significant changes in the ZE heart rate after treatments with MB (130 beats/min) and EPS (140 beats/min), compared to that of normal ZE (120-180 beats/min). Mixing both natural compounds MB and EPS did not affect toxicity using ZFET testing; thus, intimating their safe future use as therapeutic interventions. This represents the first study to have used the ZFET assay on MB and EPS extracts of L. rhinocerus for future health applications.

Use of Zebrafish Embryo Assay to Evaluate Toxicity and Safety of Bioreactor-Grown Exopolysaccharides and Endopolysaccharides from European Ganoderma applanatum Mycelium for Future Aquaculture Applications.

Natural mycelial exopolysaccharide (EPS) and endopolysaccharide (ENS) extracted from bioreactor-cultivated European Ganoderma applanatum mushrooms are of potential high commercial value for both food and adjacent biopharmaceutical industries. In order to evaluate their potential toxicity for aquaculture application, both EPS (0.01-10 mg/mL) and ENS (0.01-10 mg/mL) extracts were tested for Zebrafish Embryo Toxicity (ZFET); early development effects on Zebrafish Embryos (ZE) were also analyzed between 24 and 120 h post-fertilization (HPF). Both EPS and ENS are considered non-toxic with LC50 of 1.41 mg/mL and 0.87 mg/mL respectively. Both EPS and ENS did not delay hatching and teratogenic defect towards ZE with <1.0 mg/mL, respectively. No significant changes in the ZE heart rate were detected following treatment with the two compounds tested (EPS: 0.01-10 mg/mL: 176.44 ± 0.77 beats/min and ENS: 0.01-10 mg/mL: 148.44 ± 17.75 beats/min) compared to normal ZE (120-180 beats/min). These initial findings support future pre-clinical trials in adult fish models with view to safely using EPS and ENS as potential feed supplements for supplements for development of the aquaculture industry.

Fruiting-body-base flour from an Oyster mushroom waste in the development of antioxidative chicken patty.

In a commercial oyster mushroom farm, from 300 g of the total harvest, only the cap and stem of the fruiting body parts are harvested (200 g) while the unused lower section called fruiting-body-base (FBB) is discarded (50 g). A new antioxidative FBB flour (FBBF) conversion to mixed-ratio chicken patty was recently developed which converts 16.67% of FBB into an edible flour. At the initial stage, pretreatments of FBBF were optimized at particle size (106 µm) and citric acid concentration (0.5 g/100 mL) to improve flour antioxidant responses. Such pretreatments boosted total phenolic content (2.31 ± 0.53 mg GAE/g) and DPPH (51.53 ± 1.51%) of pretreated FBBF. Mixed-ratio chicken patty containing FBBF (10%, 20%, 30%) significantly (P < 0.05) influenced the hardness, cohesiveness, springiness, and chewiness of the patties. However, only the hardness and chewiness increased proportionally with the increase FBBF in concentration. Notably, 60 panellists considered that 10% FBBF-chicken patty sensory attributes, including lightness, redness, and yellowness, is acceptable to consumers. This information could be used to market any type of commercial mushroom farm waste as alternative food products. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: This study shows that unused harvested mushroom waste from a local farm can be used to make an antioxidative chicken patty that is acceptable to consumer panellists. The converted mushroom waste into flour suggests that smaller particles and citric acid pretreatment can increase its nutritional value. This information can be used for waste conversion into new product development from any type of mushroom farm.