European research consortium succeeds in developing plastic bags, soaps and food from mushroom residues

Did you know that for every kilogram of mushroom cultivated, approximately 25% is discarded as waste? The clearest example is the stem, a part of the mushroom that is not usually commercialised but nevertheless contains molecules of very high protein value that can be used as a basis for creating new plastic, cosmetic and food bio-products. In this sense, the European FUNGUSCHAIN project has successfully developed, with mushroom waste, compostable shopping or rubbish bags, plastic sheets for crops, soaps, essential oils and multi-protein foods for the elderly. The FUNGUSCHAIN project, financed by the European Commission and involving fifteen partners from ten European countries, including the Zaragoza-based technology centre AITIIP, has been studying these super-properties of mushrooms for four and a half years and has just successfully completed its research. In addition to the new products developed, it has also made possible an innovative circular economy approach that will revolutionise the current industrial system. New biorefinery: extracting high-value biomolecules from mushroom wasteEvery year, in Europe alone, tonnes of mushroom waste are generated that can be revalued and used industrially. To this end, the Irish project partner and one of the world's largest mushroom producers, Monaghan Mushrooms, has established a mushroom waste treatment centre to carry out the stabilisation, pre-treatment and cascade extraction processes investigated in FUNGUSCHAIN. The FUNGUSCHAIN project has focused its efforts on establishing a new biorefinery concept to extract molecules, structured in four phases: cold extraction, microwave-assisted extraction, hot water pressurised extraction and anaerobic digestion. Each of these phases, which can be parallel to the others, involves a different extraction methodology to obtain different products. Applicability in multiple sectors: food, plastics and cosmetics The FUNGUSCHAIN project has scientifically demonstrated the wide range of possibilities and benefits offered by mushroom waste molecules on a social, economic and industrial level. With the use of the raw material, a circular economy model is established that involves the entire value chain of the sectors involved: food, cosmetics and plastics. FUNGUSCHAIN has detected the benefits of mushroom molecules, for example, in nutrition, as their properties can help, among other issues, in the metabolic syndrome associated with obesity. In addition, the incorporation of these molecules into certain foods such as bread, sausages or instant mushroom sauce has shown very favourable characteristics for health, being especially interesting for vulnerable consumers such as the elderly, as it can become a vitamin B12 supplement or a complementary vegan protein source. Beyond food, thanks to the involvement and synergy between the partners, FUNGUSCHAIN has managed to develop different typologies of bioplastic products. Different formulations were developed combining bioplastic material and mushroom waste (as well as additives and biolubricants), from which a range of biodegradable products have been developed: compostable rubbish bags, shopping bags or films for agricultural crops. Within the cosmetics market, the project has provided new sustainable products, thanks to the incorporation of chitosan in the formulations. In this way, three types of 100% natural products were developed to replace chemical antioxidants: emulsions, essential oils and soap bars. FUNGUSCHAIN is a clear example of how the circular bioeconomy is becoming a reality. The valorisation of waste represents a step towards the recovery and extraction of valuable materials to be used in key sectors of the European economy. European consortiumThe consortium consists of fifteen partners from ten different European countries, including research centres and several leading companies in the bio-based economy. Coordinated by BDS, BioDetection Systems B.V. (The Netherlands), the project has involved the Aitiip Technology Centre (Spain), the University of Alicante (Spain), NOVAMONT (Italy), KTH Royal Institute of Technology (Sweden), Saponia (Croatia), OWS (Belgium), Biotrend (Portugal), Condensia (Spain), Biozoon (Germany), ECPN (Italy), MiPlast (Croatia), Tecnaro (Germany), Monaghan Mushrooms (Ireland), Total Corbion (The Netherlands) and Neem Biotech (UK).