Comparison of novel fungal mycelia strains and sustainable growth substrates to produce humidity-resistant biocomposites

Fungal mycelia are versatile, highly productive and sustainable sources for biocomposites to replace conventional plastics. However, with only very few fungal strains that have been characterized, numerous strains still remain unexplored as potential competitors against traditional non-biodegradable materials. Moreover, the functionality of mycelium composites at commonly occurring, challenging ambient conditions such as changing humidity and temperature is not well characterized. Here we evaluated the properties of the fungal composite material produced by novel fungal strains, including Trichoderma asperellum and Agaricus bisporus, grown on oat husk and rapeseed cake after oil pressing. The results showed that the mycelium composites were hydrophobic and strong, particularly when grown on rapeseed cake. A. bisporus grown on rapeseed cake exhibited increased stiffness after humidity was successively increased and decreased. The moisture-resistance of these novel mycelium composites is encouraging for novel sustainable material solutions. [Display omitted] •The dynamic mechanical properties of mycelium composites were studied for the first time at a broad moisture gradient.•Novel mycelium composites from Agaricus bisporus gave high moisture-resistance.•The dense structure and rich chemical composition of rapeseed cake made it a potent feeding substrate for mycelia.