Swiss Fungi Society

Our mission is to encourage activities related to the cultivation of fungi and the identification of bioactive molecules

in higher mushrooms.

Cultivation of gourmet and medicinal mushrooms

We cultivate around ten species of gourmet and medicinal mushrooms.

The aim is to bring new species of mushroom to the Swiss market, rich in bioactive compounds beneficial to health.

The ancestral use of these mushrooms is now better understood thanks to the identification of secondary metabolites resulting from scientific research programs.

Creation of a catalog

of mushroom strains

We are building up a bank of mushroom strains (basidiomycetes and ascomycetes) to satisfy the growing interest in mushroom cultivation.

These strains are brought on the market in the form of syringes for liquid mycelium culture, enabling people to start growing mushrooms without specialized equipment.

Extraction of

bioactive compounds

(secondary metabolites)

We use a variety of techniques to extract bioactive molecules from mushrooms and mycelium, including Sohxlet, microwave, ultrasound and double extraction.

Both hydrophilic and lipophilic compounds are extracted using food-grade solvents.

The use of deep eutectic solvents is also being investigated.

Identification and quantification of bioactive compounds

We identify the families of bioactive molecules present in mushroom and mycelium extracts using spectroscopic and chromatographic techniques.

Knowledge of constitution and concentration is important for the assay.

Screening is carried out mainly on flavonoids, terpenoids and alkaloids, and quantification can be carried out using selected standard biomolecules.

Selection of high-yielding fungus strains

Developping the growing process from spore to carpophore (mushroom), we can select high-yield strains by cloning specimens with the best characteristics.

These are then tested in different culture media and long-term stored for further use.

Mycelium culture: Fermentation in liquid and solid media

We grow mycelium from basidiomycetes and ascomycetes in both liquid and solid media.

We are studying the different types of grains in the solid phase and seeking to establish correlations between the composition of the growth medium and the type of bioactive molecules synthesized.

As the mycelium is often as rich in secondary metabolites as the fungus, we grow it in liquid phase, varying parameters such as nutrient medium, pH

Purpose

Of a number of fungus species recently estimated at between 2.2 and 3.8 million (1), only 120,000 have been identified to date, and only around fifty are cultivated. At the current rate of identification, it would take thousands of years to list and study all these species. In comparison with the plant kingdom, out of a known number of plants of around 200,000, as many as 36,000 are cultivated for ornamental purposes, food and materials (2). In view of these figures, it would appear that the fungal kingdom remains totally unknown, despite the fact that the potential of fungi to help solve environmental and human problems seems immeasurable. There is an urgent need to encourage institutions and the general public to develop their knowledge of fungi in order to benefit from their potential.

The fascinating power of fungi comes from their ability to produce a myriad of bioactive molecules with, for example, antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral properties. This ability has been developed over the course of their evolution in order to survive in an ever-changing natural environment. Fungi can be considered as veritable micro-laboratories for the synthesis of bioactive molecules. The real challenge, therefore, is to identify the enzymes responsible for producing these metabolites under different growth conditions. The spectrum of molecules synthesised by the fungus depends on its environment and the other organisms it encounters. Over the next few years, a considerable amount of work combining pharmacology, chemical analysis, genetics and culture techniques is expected to study and classify all these new bioactive molecules.

We need to start large-scale research now, with amateur growers collecting data on growing conditions and providing it to laboratories that have the equipment to analyse samples of their production. In this way, a database combining the cultivation parameters with the spectra of the bioactive molecules produced will make it possible to study the therapeutic potential of fungi. Just under a hundred years ago, the identification of a molecule synthesised by a fungus with antibacterial properties saved millions of lives: penicillin.

Vision

Activities related with mushrooms [KD1] will grow in the coming years, especially the cultivation in particular due to:

- the need to develop growing technics of highly demanded mushrooms in order to preserve wild species

- scientific advances allowing the isolation of new bioactive molecules synthesized by fungi

- the awareness of a growing part of the population of the need for a healthy and rich diet. As a source of protein, mushrooms are an alternative to meat, especially by providing protein, minerals and vitamins.

- significant potential in the field of materials science (development of an ecological alternative to leather or plastic through the culture of mycelium.

- the ability of fungi to clean, extract and eliminate toxic and harmful chemical elements (mycoremediation)

- the potential as a substitute for pesticides, by using fungi, which selectively protect plants from harmful insects (mycopesticides).

- for the art of microbiology. As long as the integrity of the mushroom is respected, new experiences are limited only by the imagination.

- to explore the behavior of complex living fungal microscopic systems. Fungi can serve as study models, known as liquid brains.

Mission

The objectives of the Swiss Fungi Foundation are to:

- Make the general public aware of the therapeutic potential of mushrooms

- Involve the Swiss academic world in the study and cultivation of mushrooms

- Create a network of amateurs and professionals practicing mushroom cultivation

- Offer mushroom cultivation workshops to the general public

- Encourage mycophilia and understand the foundations of mycophobia

- Maintain a discussion forum between mycophiles

References

Hawksworth DL, Lücking R. Fungal Diversity Revisited: 2.2 to 3.8 Million Species. Microbiol Spectr. 2017 Jul;5(4). doi: 10.1128/microbiolspec.FUNK-0052-2016. PMID: 28752818

Khoshbakht, K., Hammer, K. How many plant species are cultivated?. Genet Resour Crop Evol 55, 925–928 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10722-008-9368-0

van der Heijden MG, Martin FM, Selosse MA, Sanders IR. Mycorrhizal ecology and evolution: the past, the present, and the future. New Phytol. 2015 Mar;205(4):1406-23. doi: 10.1111/nph.13288. Epub 2015 Feb 2. PMID: 25639293.

Bonfante, P., Genre, A. Mechanisms underlying beneficial plant–fungus interactions in mycorrhizal symbiosis. Nat Commun 1, 48 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms1046

Loron, C.C., François, C., Rainbird, R.H. et al. Early fungi from the Proterozoic era in Arctic Canada. Nature 570, 232–235 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-019-1217-0