Work

Surplus bread fermentation by Pleurotus ostreatus monitored by magnetic resonance imaging

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: This study addresses circular approaches to reuse food surpluses and losses, focusing on starchy products like bread that are fermented by fungi to produce a nutrient-rich biomass. Traditional methods have evaluated fungal growth at a macro scale, but improving the processing of heterogeneous substrates, such as highly porous ones, requires detailed insight into local fungal activity and growth. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) offers a unique advantage by simultaneously capturing morphological details and water distribution. The present work aimed to assess MRI as a non-destructive, non-invasive tool for monitoring spatial and temporal changes in biomass during solid-state fermentation (SSF) of bread slices with Pleurotus ostreatus . MRI protocols were developed to measure morphological changes and map transverse NMR relaxation times. MRI data were validated against conventional measurements of water content and dry matter, with further evaluation through fibre and protein analyses to determine added nutritional value. Bread was shown to be a suitable substrate for cultivating fungi, producing a nutritionally-valuable biomass rich in soluble fibre and changes in some amino acid composition. T 2 relaxation was an effective focus to monitor mycelial growth through association to mycelial hydrolysis and water content distribution. T 2 mapping revealed significant heterogeneities in the bread, which persisted long under experimental conditions employed (approximatively one month). While the observed changes were at the macroscopic level, future microscale investigations using multi-exponential T 2 could help isolate fungal signals and enable quantitative biomass assessment.

Source: Journal of Food Engineering

DOI: 10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2026.112967