Growing sustainable materials from filamentous fungi

The urgent need to transition a more sustainable way of life is driving the development natural and materials. One such example mycelium materials, which are partially or solely composed hyphae, vegetative form filamentous fungi. Mycelium materials offer environmentally friendly alternative synthetic like plastics animal leather, by minimizing waste, reducing CO2 emissions promoting circular economy. In their habitat, fungi play vital role in maintaining balanced forest ecosystems decomposing recycling organic matter. From material application perspective, itself now being considered as product that can be easily generated cultivating fungus on renewable biomass feedstocks. Mycelium-based composites pure produced through different fermentation techniques, including solid-state (SSF), liquid-state submerged (LSF) surface (LSSF). Interestingly, properties highly tuneable altering growth post-growth process parameters, choice fungal species used substrate. Although link between biology living organism emergent characteristics thereof offers great opportunities for fine-tuning properties, current lack understanding underlying scientific principles makes industrial scalability reproducibility challenging step. this article, we discuss challenges novel class biomaterials.