Investigating Thermomyces lanuginosus and Purpureocillium lilacinum to produce advanced myco-materials through selective fungal decellularization

In healthcare and human life, and with the growing need for environmentally friendly materials to replace synthetic ones, biomaterials are essential. Desirable biomaterials may now be created using a wide range of extracted natural polymers. Mycelium-based biomaterials are being developed into more adaptable, inexpensive, and self-replicating products. Some fungal species, like Pleurotus ostreatus and Ganoderma lucidum, have been recognised as excellent sources of biomaterials with unique morphological, mechanical, and hydrodynamical characteristics. Thermomyces lanuginosus and Purpureocillium lilacinum are two fungal strains that may be used to create biomaterials. This article seeks to introduce these strains and use experimentation to identify their distinctive characteristics. The fungus was cultivated in a lab, and the growth kinetics of the fungus were estimated. The strains of P. lilacinum and T. lanuginosus had maximum specific growth rates (μ_max) of 1.34 ± 0.024 and 3.09 ± 0.019 L⁻¹ d⁻¹, respectively. Decellularization of the fungal biomass was performed using 0.1% SDS solution, after which the scaffolds were created by drying the biomass in plastic moulds. Following that, analysis using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) was carried out. The porosity and swelling ratio were also determined and hydrodynamic characterization was performed for the samples. The results show that mycelia have the potential to serve as inexpensive, all-natural bio-scaffolds and T. lanuginosus-prepared materials have a larger swelling ratio and increased porosity, which makes them better myco-materials than those formed from P. lilacinum.