GROWING GOURMET - Anto2ni.it

456 MUSHROOM FARM ENVIRONMENT
Purposes: To isolate and develop mushroom
cultures for generating pure culture spawn.
Facility: A building well separated from the
growing room complex.
Maximum Temperature: 800 F. (26-27° C.)
Minimum Temperature: 70° F. (2 1-22° C.)
Humidity: 35-50%
Light. 500-1000 lux.
Insulation: R 1 6-R32
Positive Pressurization: Yes, throughHEPA ifiters.
Additional Comments: The laboratory should
be uphill from the growing rooms so that passage
of spawn is aided by gravity as it is
transported. The laboratory is a relatively dry
environment, encouraging the growth of mycehum
only in protected containers (petri dishes,
jars, & bags). Condensation surfaces must be
minimized. After construction, every seam
should be sealed with silicone caulking.
The Growing Room
Complex
The growing room complex can house all
non-laboratory activities within one building.
Each room has different requirements according
to function.These recommendations should
be used as general guidelines, subject to amendment.
Growers in humid tropical requirements
face a set of problems uniquely different from
growers in cold, temperate climates. Ancillary
storage & shop maintenance buildings are not
listed.
Environment 1:
The Growing Rooms
Purpose: To grow as many mushrooms as possible
Facility: Rooms vary in size from lOx 20 ft. to
40 x 100 ft. with 10-20 ft. ceilings and are usu-
ally rectangular in shape with large doors at
both ends. Growing rooms should have cement
floors, with drains, and equipped with water
lines. Electrical boxes and lights must be waterproofed.
Internal walls should beconstructed
of non-degradable materials. Use of wood
should be minimized.
Maximum Temperature: 80° F. (26-27° C.)
Minimum Temperature: 45° F. (7-9° C.)
Humidity: 50-100%
Light. 50-1000
Insulation: R8-R16 or as needed.
Positive Pressurization: Yes, through electrostatic
filters.
Additional Comments: Ideally, a flow-through
design is followed, both in consideration of
fresh mushrooms as well as the entry and exit
of substrate mass. Removing contaminated
substrates into the same corridor through which
freshly spawned substrate is being transferred
causes cross-contamination. Spent substrate
should be exited out of the opposite ends of the
growing rooms. Many farms bring their fresh
mushrooms into the main hallway, en route to
the sorting and cold storage rooms.
Environment 2:
The Spawning Room
Purposes: A room adjacent to the pasteurization
chamber wherein inoculations into bulk
substrates are conducted.
Facility: The room must be constructed of materials
that will not harbor mold colonies and
can be washed down with ease. The height
should be sufficient to accommodate the unloading
of the steam box, conveyors (if used),
elevated platforms and funnels for filling columns
(12-16 ft.). Cement floors and moisture
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