Osmoprotectant
AssigneeSpawn Mate, Inc.
InventorR. B. Holtz
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An osmoprotectant particle for use in enhancing fungus growth and particularly for use with edible mushrooms. The osmoprotectant particle includes a carrier particle, either a protein or a neutral material and a plurality of osmoprotectant microdroplets containing water soluble phosphoglyceride such as hydroxy lecithin and betaine or choline which are attached to a plurality of recesses formed about the carrier particle. Denaturation of the protein and/or control of a surface-to-volume ratio restricts access to the microdroplets such that only mushroom mycelia occuring in the later flushes will be able to utilize the phospholipid droplets. A method is provided for producing the osmoprotectant particles utilizing either the protein carrier particle or the neutral carrier particle.
Claims16
An osmoprotectant particle for enhancing fungus growth comprising:
- a protein carrier particle, generally spherical in structure, including a plurality of recessed attachment sites;
- and
- a plurality of osmoprotectant droplets, smaller in size that said carrier particle and having a core formed by the hydrocarbon tails of a water soluble phosphoglyceride material surrounded by an osmoprotectant layer, said osmoprotectant layer comprising the polar head of the phosphoglyceride material, said droplets being attached to said plurality of recessed attachment sites to be substantially surrounded by the carrier particle such that release of said osmoprotectant layer occurs only during the latter flushes of the mushroom crop when the carrier particle has been partially broken down by mycelia of earlier flushes.
An osmoprotectant particle for enhancing fungus growth comprising:
- a plurality of neutral carrier particles having a plurality of recessed attachment sites;
- a plurality of osmoprotectant droplets, smaller in size than said neutral carrier particles and having a core formed by the hydrocarbon tails of a water soluble phosphoglyceride material surrounded by an osmoprotectant layer, said osmoprotectant layer comprising the polar head of the phosphoglyceride material and said droplets being attached to said recessed attachment sites of the neutral carrier particle;
- and
- the plurality of neutral carrier particles are coagglomerated in a matrix whereby a combined osmoprotectant particle is formed.
A method for producing an osmoprotectant particle comprising:
- (a) preparing a plurality of carrier particles, each having a plurality of recessed interior and exterior attachment sites for receiving a plurality of osmoprotectant droplets;
- (b) preparing a suspension of osmoprotectant droplets and carrier by mixing together a water soluble phosphoglyceride material and the carrier particles and blending the resultant mixture to form a blended mixture;
- and
- (c) drying the resultant product.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.