GROWING GOURMET - Anto2ni.it

188
CULTIVATING GOURMET MUSHROOMS
T
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(F)
200
izes the chamber. (Larger Phase II rooms will
require correspondingly higher pressure fans
able to push air over 2-4 inches of static pressure.)
The substrate mass slowly cools in 12-24
hours to temperatures tolerable for inoculation,
generally below 105° F. (38° C.).
Before the pasteurization chamber is
opened, the inoculation area is intensively
cleaned with a 10% bleach solution.* To aid the
cleaning process, venturi siphon mixers are ideal
for drawing bleach directly into a hose line at the
faucet connection. Conveyor belts, counter tops,
funnels, ceilings, and walls are all cleansed
with torrents of chlorinated water. Spraying
Protective clothing is advised for the sanitation
personnel.
Methods vary for the unloading of the Phase
II chamber. Some remove the straw by hand
with clean pitch-forks and throw the straw onto
stainless-steel tables whereupon the inoculation
occurs. Conveyors are favored for
substrate handling by many growers. The largest
Phase II chambers utilize a netted or
"walking" floor which pulls the substrate mass
into two outwardly rotating, horizontally positioned,
teethed cylinders. (See Figure 148). As
the substrate mass is forced into the space between
the two outwardly rotating, spiked
down the room with such a solution is colloqui- cylinders, the straw is separated and ejected
ally termed "bleach bombing" in the industry. onto a depressed platform in whose center is a
funnel or ramp that leads to conveyors.
* Most brand name bleaches have 5.25% sodium
(Warn-
Figure 151. Chart: Temperature Profile of a Phase II Run.
ing: the danger of personal injury here at this
juncture is notorious. Special precautions must
be implemented to prevent accidents.)After the
straw is thrown into the conveyor belt, grain
hypochlorite. One tablespoon of bleach in a gallon of
water is roughly equivalent to 200 ppm chlorine. A
cup of bleach per gallon of water is equivalent to 3200
ppm. Most mushroom mycelia are harmed above 200
ppm of chlorine.
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Steam Pasteurization Profile
Phase 11 Temperature Chart
Maximum Temperature C Minimum Temperature
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