FILAMENTOUS FUNGAL BIOMATS, METHODS OF THEIR PRODUCTION AND METHODS OF THEIR USE

• US 20190316077A1
• Filed: 06/14/2019
• Published: 10/17/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fynder Group Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Sustainable Bioproducts, Inc.
• Inventors: KOZUBAL, Mark A., MACUR, Richard E., AVNIEL, Yuval C.
• Granted Patent: US 10,577,579 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 3/347 Use of yeasts or fungi C02F3/322 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 1/02 Separating microorganisms from their culture media
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 1/14 Fungi culture of mushrooms A01G18/00; as new plants A01H15/00; Culture media therefor
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 1/145 Fungal isolates
• CPC Class Codes: C12R 2001/645 Fungi ; Processes using fungi
• CPC Class Codes: C12R 2001/66 Aspergillus
• CPC Class Codes: C12R 2001/77 Fusarium
• CPC Class Codes: C12R 2001/785 Mucor
• CPC Class Codes: C12R 2001/80 Penicillium
• CPC Class Codes: C12R 2001/84 Pichia
• CPC Class Codes: C12R 2001/845 Rhizopus
• CPC Class Codes: C12R 2001/885 Trichoderma

Abstract

A novel method of growing fungi is disclosed which uses an engineered artificial media and produces high density filamentous fungi biomats that can be harvested with a minimum of processing and from which fungal products such as antibiotics, proteins, and lipids can be isolated, the method resulting in lowered fungus cultivation costs for energy usage, oxygenation, water usage and waste stream production.

Claims

1-30. -30. (canceled)

31. A food product, comprising a filamentous fungal biomat, wherein the biomat has a protein content of at least 40%, wherein the biomat comprises at least two structurally different cell layers in contact with each other, wherein the structural difference between the cell layers is the density within each layer, and wherein the biomat is produced by culturing filamentous fungi to produce at least 25 g dry wt filamentous fungi/l media.

33. The food product of claim 31, wherein the filamentous fungi is selected from the group consisting of a species from a genus selected from the group consisting of Fusarium, Fusisporium, Pseudofusarium, Gibberella, Sporotrichella, Aspergillus, Penicillium, and Trichoderma;

a species within the order Mucorales;

the filamentous fungal strain designated as MK7 (ATCC Accession Deposit No. PTA-10698);

yeasts capable of producing filaments; and

combinations thereof.

34. The food product of claim 31, wherein the biomat comprises amino acids selected from selected from tryptophan, cysteine, methionine, alanine, arginine, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, glycine, histidine, isoleucine, leucine, phenylalanine, proline, serine, threonine, lysine, tyrosine and valine produced by the filamentous fungi.

35. The food product of claim 31, wherein the biomat has a lipid content of at least 39%.

36. The food product of claim 31, wherein the food product is selected from group consisting of a human food, fish feed and animal feed.

37. The food product according to claim 31, wherein the biomat is produced by culturing filamentous fungi to produce at least 50 g dry wt filamentous fungi/l media.

38. The food product according to claim 31, wherein the biomat is produced by culturing filamentous fungi to produce at least 120 g dry wt filamentous fungi/l media.

39. The food product according to claim 31, wherein the biomat is produced by culturing filamentous fungi to produce at least 180 g dry wt filamentous fungi/l media.

40. The food product according to claim 31, wherein the filamentous fungi are selected from the group consisting of strain MK7 (ATCC Accession Deposit No. PTA-10698), Fusarium species, and Rhizopus species.

41. The food product according to claim 31, wherein the filamentous fungi are strain MK7 (ATCC Accession Deposit No. PTA-10698).

42. The food product according to claim 31, wherein the filamentous fungi are Fusarium venenatum.

43. The food product according to claim 31, wherein the biomat comprises three structurally different cell layers.

32. (canceled)