They invest $50 million to produce edible mushrooms from beer bagasse

Quilmes Brewery and Malting, in alliance with Organic Myceliuma biotechnology company born with the purpose of redefining and transforming the way in which waste is managed and food is prepared, produces edible mushrooms from barley bagasse that is generated during brewing. The development of the project required an investment of $50 million, of which Cervecería y Maltería Quilmes contributed $15 million, for the construction of a production plant in Chascomús.

More than 400,000 tons of barley bagasse are generated annually in Argentina as a by-product of the brewing process. The bagasse is the result of the maceration and filtering that is generated during the brewing process which, having a high mineral and protein content, is highly adjuvant as a natural substrate for the production of fresh mushrooms. These mushrooms are considered a “superfood” due to their great nutritional value, they are rich in protein, amino acids, vitamins and fiber, and their different species (Girgolas, Lion’s Mane, Shiitakes, among others) are in increasing demand in society.

“The alliance with Micelio Bio helps us rethink the way we prepare our food, accelerating the changes necessary for a circular way of production and consumption, while promoting the circularity of one of the by-products of our brewing process,”he pointed Vanessa Vazquez, Inclusive Growth and Sustainability Manager at Cervecería y Maltería Quilmes.

Micelio Bio is a triple impact project that articulates the scientific-technological world with the productive and social world. Its first industrial plant has an initial production capacity of up to 10 tons of fresh mushrooms per month. In addition to mushrooms, The company sells self-production kits and provides training and technical assistance consultancies to entrepreneurs. The project had the support of La Ciudad Posible in its incubation and acceleration process, and the scientific-technological support of the Laboratory of Mycology and Cultivation of Edible and Medicinal Fungi Intech Conicet Unsam, with whom they have a collaboration agreement.

“The joint venture with Cervecería y Maltería Quilmes is a way to add value to the production of edible mushrooms with the reuse of a key by-product of brewing. It allows multiple benefits to be obtained in its process, not only economic, but also socio-environmental, reducing the negative externalities of other traditional modes of food production, and making the most of existing resources in the global context of climate and ecosystem crisis,” said Alejandro Jurado, one of the founders of Mycelium.

With this initiative, Cervecería y Maltería Quilmes continues its actions to achieve the goal of carbon neutrality by 2040, through the implementation of sustainable practices that improve its processes at each stage of its value chain.

Mushrooms, a superfood?

Fungi are the main degraders of organic matter on the planet. They are essential in the nutrient cycle of the ecosystem, since they return essential nutrients to the soil that allow the growth of plants and other organisms.

The production process of edible mushrooms ranges from 6 to 8 weeks from sowing -which in the case of Micelio Bio, is carried out by inoculating the different species of mushrooms on a substrate made up of barley bagasse and wheat straw- until harvest. During this time, care requires controlling humidity, temperature, ventilation, and light exposure. Once they reach the desired size and color, they are harvested.

The global edible mushroom market experienced an average annual growth of 6.4% in the last 15 years, and the average global consumption per person went from 1 kg per year to 4 kg between 1997 and 2012. In Argentina, the level of consumption and edible mushroom production has followed this growth trend and is expected to grow exponentially and sustainably over the coming decades.