Mushrooms and mycelium growing complex 'Saturn'

The complex on commercial production of mushrooms and mycelium of pleurotus and agaricus 'Saturn' exists since 1989. Having started its activity from nothing and having been producing just mushrooms, mycelium and spawn, the enterprise has not only been survived, it also has been turned into powerful and high-tech complex, which includes all production constituents of mushrooms commercial production technology.

Currently the complex includes mycelium production section, spawn production section, the section on mushrooms forcing and their preparation for realization, scientific-control section and 12 subsidiary services and sections. The number of persons employed is around 200.

By 2001 our specialized complex, not having reached the planning productive capacity level, produces 60 thousands liters of mycelium monthly (the largest production in Russia), 300 tons of spawn, up to 35 tons of mushrooms.

Production ('forcing') of mushrooms.

The 'forcing' of mushrooms term has been developed and is applied by 'Saturn' complex and it means the intensive getting of mushrooms (mycothallus) from mature spawns. For these purposes the specialized (planned by our specialists) premises where the exceptionally optimal microclimate parameters for mushrooms growing are kept up. 20 qualified employers work in this section.

Spawn production.

Almost all existent in the world technologies for mushrooms substratum production (xerothermic, fermentation, sterile) has been tested by complex in industrial scale. At spawn production section works 40 workers and specialists, due to the qualification of which high-quality and high-yield spawn are produced.

Scientific-control section.

The scientific-control section performs the powerful technological support of all phases of production. Its specialists (biologists, mycologists, and microbiologists) conduct application studies aimed at increasing of effectiveness at all phases of production and also they exercise control of existent production.