News : An idea that mushroomed

When Noel Arnold entered the world of exotic mushrooms he was forging new ground. Now he's one of the biggest growers in the country.
 

The Li-Sun Exotic Mushrooms business is
situated in a dis-used railway tunnel in Bowral.
Owner, Dr. Noel Arrold, tends to his mushrooms.

In the cool mountainous forests of east Asia, strange edible mushrooms grow wild, feeding on dead native oak trees away from the sunlight. In mushroom-growing facilities in China, Japan and South Korea, scientists work at re-creating that environment, using the same basic elements.

But in 1987, when Noel Arrold decided to try to grow exotic mushrooms in Australia, he was wading into unchartered waters. For a start, oak trees are not native to Australia, a fairly significant challenge to the fledgling farmer.

But Arrold was already something of a mushroom expert, having studied fungal genetics in Germany. Working in a commercial laboratory back in Australia, Arrold was selling mushroom culture to farmers, many of whom were facing tough financial times and struggling to pay him. When someone sent him culture for Swiss brown mushrooms, which were not being grown in Australia, Arrold saw a way of diversifying his business.

 

Shimejii mushrooms in the former railway tunnel in Bowral. Photo: Graham Tidy.

He had also recently inherited the Mittagong railway tunnel from a friend, who had been using it to grow bog-standard mushrooms for canning. The disused single track tunnel between the NSW towns of Mittagong and Bowral was built in 1866 and fell out of use in 1919, when a two-track tunnel was built next to it, to accommodate trains running between Sydney and the newly-minted capital, Canberra. It was consistently cool and dark, and therefore perfect for growing mushrooms. Arrold started with the Swiss browns, then moved on to shiitake. But it took Arrold many months of trial and error to find the Japanese mushrooms would happily grow in the well-rotted eucalyptus sawdust from the old mills that had been closed down in towns across southern NSW. From that success, he expanded to other Asian mushroom varieties.

It was tough going to begin, as Australians were unfamiliar with Asian varieties, but Arrold found a market in the big hotels catering to Asian tourists in Queensland.

He now works with a team of 12, cultivating swiss brown, shiitake, oyster, shimejii and wood ear in the tunnel, and enoki, coloured oysters, chestnut and king brown mushrooms in climate-controlled cropping rooms.

Shiitake mushrooms in the former railway tunnel in Bowral. Photo: Graham Tidy

First, Arrold develops culture in a lab, then he and his staff prepare and sterilise strong plastic bags with a combination of sawdust, rice bran and straw. The bags sit in neat rows in the tunnel, where most mushroom varieties will grow quickly, within about seven days. Once the mushrooms are picked, the bags are left for three weeks.

''Then they throw them in a bathtub of water, that gives them a shock, and then they're ready to go again,'' he says.

They grow mushrooms three times in each bag before throwing out the remains and starting again.

Locally grown Asian mushroom varieties are still relatively rare in this country, although Li-Sun supplies one of the big supermarket chains and local markets. Most Asian mushrooms are imported. ''There are only two growers in Australia, and we only grow 30 per cent of Australian consumption,'' Arrold says.

Noel Arrold's Li-Sun Exotic Mushrooms has tours of the mushroom tunnel during the Flavours festival, $35, highlandsfoodiegroup.com.au

Larissa Nicholson is a staff feature writer.

By : Larissa Nicholson

Mushroom Capital Project Initiation

Initial capital. The most frequent question asked by many of the Global Mushroom entrepreneurs and enthusiasts will mushroom, and today I want to share information about the cost of capital was needed.

For the first starter. The most delicious if there RM15k. 

• Make a barn (20 'X 25') with a capacity of 5.000 bags .= RM5, 000 
• Buy 5.000 bags bags mature mushroom (RM1.10) = RM5, 500 
• Capital and expenditure .= lain2 RM4, 500 
• Total Cost Total .= RM15, 000 
• Total income 3 months (5Kx0.05kgx6xRM7) = RM10, 500

In this case, employers pay back the capital at the barn last year and bought the bag mushroom capital. If he bought another bag of 5.000, then he will be the profit of RM4, 000. That income of RM10, 500 - RM5, 500 (purchase cost of the bag).

Income of RM10, 500 in earn if he sells up to RM7 per kg. If he can sell for RM10 or RM12, such as at night markets or market day, the sales will be higher. RM7 is the minimum price for wholesale. If we survey the night market, we will see prices at the night market there to reach RM13 to RM15 per kilo.

Just imagine if the entrepreneur can sell with those prices. Another one, just for working capital tu emergency plan only if there is no reason to RM4, 500 was no reason why the use tu to pay water bills, buy fuel and plastic wrap je mushrooms. And one more important, do not hire because, if the bag ... so far 5.000 we can take care of mom dad ... was not very difficult. For a small scale.

I suggest that employers may start with 1,000 bags first. No need to build a barn. Just buy canopy only on condition that, under the canopy of trees or bushes so that the canopy of the roast is cool.

• Buy a canopy (10 'X 10') = RM300 - RM400
• Buy 1.000 bags mushrooms = RM1, 100
• Cash flow = RM1, 000
• Revenue 3 months (1Kx0.05kgx6xRM7) = RM2, 100

How to count the result = (Number of bags X mushroom harvest products each production X X The number of times the Purchase Price).

This information I obtained from my friend, Mr.. Zul of Mushroom Puchong, Malaysia and if interested to know more, you can register for the course which he recommended such a course of ads displayed.

Button Mushroom

Agaricus bisporus, also known as public Button Mushroom, Mushroom or Mushroom Farm Table is one of the Basidiomycota fungi are edible and grows naturally in meadows and fields. Although this species is found only around Europe and North America, but populations of this species increased dramatically and is one of the most widely cultivated mushrooms in the commercial world.
 

Agaricus bisporus, which grew wild in nature has a gingery pileus and dark brown gills. However, a more convenient variation of the genus Agaricus white pileus, stem, and the contents of each white and brown gills.
 

A large number of retail outlets in Western countries is sold in the form of canned mushrooms and a fresh supply. Gill fungus is often removed during preparation. Button mushrooms that have been cooked can usually be found, especially for pizza and casseroles, eaten raw with a salad and so on. A mycology expert named Paul Stamets worried because the possibility of this fungus contain small quantities of hazardous chemicals agaritin kaseinogen commonly found in fungi but not identified how many levels of the chemical to cause poisoning to consumers and become a hot issue at this time.

Taxonomy and Nomenclature
Agaricus bisporus is known as the champignon de Paris in France. It is also called "champignon" (the French word for "fungus") in many countries.

Ordinary button mushrooms are grown is a member of the genus Agaricus where most members are edible, with flavors and quoted extensively throughout the world. The most known and popular is collected in the wild A. campestris, known as Meadow on North American mushroom or field mushroom in the UK and Australia. This species is found in the United States and Europe.

Agaricus bisporus Agaricus brunnescens derived from the name by Charles Horton Peck in 1900 prior to the change and disinonimkan A. bisporus. The name is derived from the alleged bisporus bi meaning two and sporus means of spores. Most of the Basidiomycota had four spores per basidia but this species has only two spores per bosidia.

Common species
These mushrooms are usually easy to be confused with a poisonous fungus, Amanita Virosa also known as the destroying angel people. Although looks similar in shape physically, but both species have a slight difference in shape at the site known as volva pileus and gill color. Amanita Virosa have gills that are white while most of Agaricus bisporus brown or pink. That's why we need to wash mushrooms, especially in the so volva fragments (debris) removed to determine the pattern, in addition to cutting specimens to identify the color of the young gills.

In addition, the "destroying angel" grow on wood, moss and live in symbiosis with fir trees.

Another somewhat similar fungus and Agaricus xanthodermus popular yellow. The fungus is usually found around the world in areas where grass can be identified by the smell of toxic chemicals, phenol and its contents will turn yellow when flaccid. This fungus affects the gastrointestinal, such as nausea and vomiting in some people.

Nutrition Nutrition
Button mushrooms are rich in vitamins and minerals. This particular mushroom contains vitamin B and potassium content is high. Raw mushrooms are free of cholesterol, fat and sodium. Mushrooms also have a very low total energy of five medium-sized button mushrooms together only 20 calories.

In addition, this fungus also has a unique flavor compared to other fungi. No special flavor is described; Mushroom described as a "timber" for having a somewhat bitter taste, but button mushrooms taste a little sweeter or a little "beefy".

Just as apples and potatoes, mushroom oxidizes quickly when exposed to air. When sliced and exposed to air for 10 minutes or more, these mushrooms become soft, change the color to a brownish-and lost its original flavor.