Immobilisation as a strategy to increase the ecological competence of liquid cultures of Agaricus bisporus in pasteurised compost

This study investigated the applicability of an immobilisation technique ba sed on cell entrapment in a polymer gel (sodium alginate) as a strategy to increase the ecological competence of liquid cultures (liquid spawn) of Aga ricus bisporus in pasteurised compost. This delivery system had a shorter a daptation (lag) period and a higher growth rate in pasteurised compost than both liquid spawn and the conventional grain spawn. The ecological compete nce of this delivery system was attributed to the high biomass loading capa city of these beads, mycelial protection in the bead microenvironment and t he spatial distribution of the beads in the macroenvironment. Exploitation of this delivery system depends on both commercial product parameters and o n the genetic stability of the inoculum. (C) 1999 Federation of European Mi crobiological Societies. Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights rese rved.