Since 1999, people from more than 70 countries have put their trust in our education program on spawn production. Because we have been spawn producers for more than 35 years. We share our knowledge with you.
Our 4-day program has been developed over more than 20 years of experience and is based on our extensive training experience from individual courses, group courses and substrate group trainings.If you’re still in doubt, ask someone who has been here before.
We give you the real deal, guaranteed. Warning: this is an in-depth course. Having some kind of scientific background is essential.
DO YOU WANT TO BE UPDATED ON THE NEXT EDITION?
Sign up to our newsletter and we’ll let you know as soon as the new dates are available.
Next edition: Spring 2022 (dates to be confirmed)
Location: Mycelia’s premises
Training language: English. We can however accommodate for French, German and Spanish speaking participants to a certain degree.
Group size: maximum 21
*VAT, board and lodging not included.
| SUBJECT | TRAINER | |
| 08:30 – 09:15 | Welcome and practical briefing | Kasper Moreaux |
| 09:15 – 09:50 | Mycelia’s introduction video, floor plan and visit to the premises | |
| 09:50 – 12:30 | Parallel sessions: preparation of growing media, coffee break between sessions | |
| 50 min | Group 1: Preparation of a spawn carrier: grain- cooking, mixing with additives and bag- filling; positioning of the bags on the autoclave trolleys, autoclave loading. Water management, pH and dry matter measurement. | Kasper Moreaux & Jean Meirlaen |
| 10:40 – 11:00 | Coffee break | |
| 50 min | Group 2: Preparation of agar-media: recipes, sterilisation. Agar media as testing tools for microbiological quality of air and materials | Pascale Vergeyle & Hélène Ntimba |
| 11:50 – 12:30 | First stages of spawn production: components, mixing, humidification, bag-types, bag-filling, sterilisation | Kasper Moreaux |
| 12:30 – 13:30 | Lunch break | |
| 13:30 – 14:30 | Biology part I: taxonomy, Prokaryotes vs. Eukaryotes, food chain, role of enzymes | Magda Verfaillie |
| 14:30 – 15:00 | Coffee break | |
| 15:00 – 16:00 | Parallel sessions: overall quality control | |
| 30 min | Group 1: Role and use of a Laminar Airflow, distribution of agar media in petri dishes under LAF, cleaning and disinfection of surfaces | Pascale Vergeyle |
| 30 min | Group 2: First visit to the cleanroom area, including introduction to dressing procedure and rules of conduct | Magda Verfaillie |
| 16:00 – 17:00 | Biology part II: Bacteria and fungi: bacterial cell structure and multiplication. Structure, life cycle and classification of Higher and Imperfect Fungi | Magda Verfaillie |
| SUBJECT | TRAINER | |
| 08:30 – 10:30 | Disinfection, sterilisation and filtration: methods and efficiency, sterilisation cycles, overpressure | Kasper Moreaux |
| 10:30 – 11:00 | Coffee break | |
| 11:00 – 11:30 | Breathing bags: types of vessels, bags and boxes, essentials of filters, spawn bags vs. production systems | Jan Van Nuffel |
| 11:30 – 12:30 | Parallel sessions: Essential machines | |
| 30 min | Group 1: Autoclave and steam generator, practical use of steam, cooling units | Pascale Vergeyle |
| 30 min | Group 2: Overpressure units and laminar air flows, visit to the technical floor, air flow management | Kasper Moreaux |
| 12:30 – 13:30 | Lunch break | |
| 13:30 – 14:30 | Dealing with micro-organisms in the production of spawn: presence of propagules in the air, cleanroom classes, air control, use of LAF, use of overpressure, rules of conduct | Magda Verfaillie |
| 14:40 – 15:00 | Coffee break | |
| 15:00 – 16:20 | Mother cultures and mother spawn: GMP, quality control and degeneration of strains | Kasper Moreaux |
| 16:20 – 17:00 | Case study: examples from real life | Pascale Vergeyle |
| SUBJECT | TRAINER | |
| 08:30 – 13:00 | Parallel session: Inoculation practice | |
| 120 min | Group 1: Mother spawn department (pratical subculture method inoculation, strain preservation techniques, demonstration of incubating mother cultures) | Magda Verfaillie & Hélène Ntimba |
| 10:30 – 11:00 | Coffee break | |
| 120 min | Group 2: Spawn inoculation in Mycelia’s main inoculation room: upscaling, inoculation, particle counting and air speed measurement, incubation, quality control, shaking and reshaking; Cleaning and disinfection: rules and practice | Pascale Vergeyle |
| 13:00 – 14:00 | Lunch break | |
| 14:00 – 14:30 | Applied research and traceability | Kasper Moreaux |
| 14:30 – 15:30 | Parallel sessions: Cleanroom essentials | |
| 30 min | Group 1: Microscopy | Mihály Vidacs &Leon Deverick |
| 15:30 – 16:00 | Coffee break | |
| 30 min | Group 2: Bag sealing: difficulties, dangers and solutions | Roel Van de Heyning |
| 16:30 – 17:00 | Demonstration of incubating spawn: good and bad examples, discussion | Kasper Moreaux |
| SUBJECT | TRAINER | |
| 08:30 – 10:00 | Feasibility study: financial study and investment | Roel Van de Heyning |
| 10:00 – 10:50 | Spawn production systems around the world | Kasper Moreaux |
| 10:50 – 11:10 | Coffee break | |
| 11:10 – 11:50 | Design your own spawn lab | Magda Verfaillie |
| 11:50 – 12:30 | Mushroom cloning | Mihály Vidacs |
| 12:30 – 13:30 | Lunch break | |
| 13:40 – 16:00 | Parallel sessions: Cleanroom practice | |
| 60 min | Group 1 (combo/non-combo students): Laminar air flows (LAF) and overpressure units (OU): filter types, LAF and OP construction rules and calculations, common mistakes, maintenance, demonstration. Combo students: calculate your overpressure system. | Kasper Moreaux |
| 14:30 – 15:00 | Coffee break | |
| 60 min | Group 2: Ready spawn: selection, conservation, packaging and dispatching, cleaning and disinfection of trolleys and rooms | Pascale Vergeyle and Yasja Ongena |
| 16:00 – 17:00 | Mapping air quality in your premises with the help of an air quality map. Evaluation of Petri dishes made on day 1 | Magda Verfaillie |
| 17:00 – 18:00 | Delivery of USB stick and certificates, Shiitake beer tasting.Closing of the course. |
DO YOU WANT TO BE UPDATED ON THE NEXT EDITION?
Sign up below and we’ll let you know the dates of the next edition.
