Author ORCID Identifier

https://orcid.org/0009-0006-2082-5618

Date Available

7-19-2024

Year of Publication

2024

Degree Name

Master of Science in Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering (MSBiosyAgE)

Document Type

Master's Thesis

College

Agriculture; Engineering

Department/School/Program

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

First Advisor

Dr. Tyler Barzee

Abstract

Hydrogel scaffolds are an important component to cellular agriculture. There is a need for a sustainable alternative to the commonly used gelatin-sodium-alginate hydrogels. Specific edible fungus species may provide a suitable alternative. Many fungi possess high protein contents, ease of cultivation, and strong functional properties. However, functional characterizations and application of fungal flour and protein extracts in cellular agriculture are lacking in the literature. Therefore, this study’s objectives were to 1) Develop processes to create functional fungal protein fractions from different fungal strains and evaluate their characteristics, and 2) Quantify the printability of the resulting fungal gels for the creation of structured food precursor materials. Protein extractions were performed with Aspergillus awamori, Auricularia auricula-judea, and Pleurotus ostreatus and evaluated for protein purity, composition, and characteristics. The protein extracts were tested in varying concentrations (15-25%) in thermally treated aqueous solutions to create stable hydrogels. The structural and textural characteristics of the hydrogel were characterized by 3D printability on a 3D bioprinter, rapid visco analysis (RVA), and texture profile analysis (TPA). The results of this study indicated promise for the utilization of P. ostreatus and A. awamori protein extracts to produce suitable hydrogels for bioink formulations in 3D bioprinting applications.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

https://doi.org/10.13023/etd.2024.266

Funding Information

This work was supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Hatch-Multistate projects under accession numbers 1018315 and 7006742.

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