Maitkae - Grifola frondosa - pure culture for organic mushroom cultivation, AT-BIO-301 Strain No.: 108001

Maitake - Grifola frondosa - Pure culture

Synonyms: Ram's Head, Sheep's Head, Signorina mushroom, Maitake, Kumotake, Huai Su Gu

Especially in Asia the Maitake mushroom has been known for centuries as a very special and unique mushroom. One reason for this is seen in its dumose, i.e. its bushy form, which allows the mushroom to fit perfectly into its surroundings- an excellent camouflage. Another reason lies in its components, which are so precious that collectors in ancient Asia kept the places of discovery top secret. Today, especially in Asia and in the European-American area, the Maitake is known as a delicious, fleshy edible mushroom, which is also characterized by its high nutritional value and its medicinal properties. Because of this, the fungus also gets more and more pharmaceutical attention, and for the last few years it has become a valuable research object in korean, japanese and american studies.

The fruit bodies have a brownish to dark gray color. Out of each fungal strain sprout many overlappingly growing hats with a diameter of 2-10 cm. The young fruiting bodies have a very delicious taste. Fully grown Maitake can be dried and prepared as a tea. In particularly good conditions, Grifola frondosa produces fruiting bodies with a weight of 500 g and more. The main active components of Grifola frondosa are polysaccharides such as beta-glucan, grifolin and grifolan and high quantities of ergosterol (provitamin D).

Production time: The culture is made fresh after ordering, production time 2 to 3 weeks.
This product is fresh produce and should be processed immediatly after delivery.
If the product cannot be processed immediatley, it can be stored in the fridge at 4° Celsius for a maximum of two weeks.   

Maitake - Grifola frondosa - pure culture
Living Maitake fungi culture in cell culture flask for further multiplication and professional spawn production, refined to highly productive strains by natural selection.
Filling volume: 15 ml culture medium, Growth area: 25 cm², Measurements: L x W x H = 79,7 x 42,6 x 26,53 mm
Certified for organic mushroom cultivation
(Organic control station: AT-BIO-301, Austria Bio Garantie)

Living, actively growing, axenic Grifola frondosa cell culture, entirely free of other strains or contaminating organisms, for further multiplication. Our pure cultures are custom-made and produced fresh after ordering in a class 100 clean room environment on a solid culture medium (MEA) based on vegetable raw materials, it needs around 2 to 3 weeks until the culture is mature enough for shipping. The culture is supplied in special cell culture flasks (Filling volume: 15 ml culture medium, Growth area: 25 cm², Measurements: L x W x H = 79,7 x 42,6 x 26,53 mm) with breathable, hydrophobic membrane. This special design prevents introduction of contaminants and enables optimum gas exchange thanks to the high air flow rate of the membrane. In this packaging the mushroom culture can also survive longer shipping distance and time without loss of quality or germinative ability.

This product is intended for professional Maitake mushroom spawn production or further multiplication of this fungi strain. Working with pure cell cultures requires detailed mushroom cultivation skills. For beginners and hobby growers working with grain spawn or sawdust spawn is recommended.

We also offer further literature to gain detailed cultivation knowledge, one of the following books is highly-recommended for successful cultivation:
- Growing Gourmet & Medicinal Mushrooms, Dr. Paul Stamets, ISBN: 978-1580081757
- Mushroom Cultivation IV - appropriate technology for mushroom growers, Peter Oei, ISBN 978-90-8251290-8

Suitable Substrate:
hardwood (poplar, oak, alder, aspen, maple, birch, ash, beech, willow, elm)

Suitable method of cultivation:
wood logs, indoor mycelium bags for cultivation in a greenhouse

Taxonomy:
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Basidiomycota
Class: Agaricomycetidae
Order: Polyporales
Family: Meripilaceae
Genus: Grifola
Species: Grifola frondosa
Spores: white, elliptical, smooth and hyaline 6 - 7 x 3.5 - 5 µ


Growing conditions:
Phase 1: Mycelium growth
Temperature: 21 - 24°C
Humidity: 95 - 100%
Duration: 14 - 30 days, then dormant for 30 days
CO2: 20,000 - 40,000 ppm
Fresh air exchange: 0 - 1 per hour
Light: n/a

Phase 2: Primordia Formation
Temperature: 10 - 15,6 °C
Humidity: 95 %
Duration: 5 - 10 days
CO2: 2,000 - 5,000 ppm
Fresh air exchange: 4 - 8 per hour
Light: 100 - 500 lux

Phase 3: Fond development
Temperature: 10 - 15,6 °C
Humidity: 90 - 95%
Duration: 10 - 14 days
CO2: 2,000 - 5,000 ppm
Fresh air exchange: 4-8 per hour
Light: 100 - 500 lux

Phase: Fruiting and Harvest
Temperature: 13 - 16 (18)°C
Humidity: 75 -85 %
Duration: 14 - 21 days
CO2: <1,000 ppm
Fresh air exchange: 4 - 8 per hour
Light: 500 - 1,000 lux
Cropping cycle: 2 flushes, every 3-4 weeks