11/21/12 The Final Beer Racking into keg and bottles, WHOOP!!!!!!!!!

Setting up the brand new 5 gallon stainless keg

Starting of the siphon

Filling of bottles

Capping of bottles and will sit for further CO2 production

Beer will be ready for consumption on 11/27/12!!!! :)

Lab Summary: 10/24/12 A look at Neurospora crassa (N.c.) history

A collection of N.c. strains for genetic studies are available at www.fgsc.net  Most of all the genes (6,000 genes of the 10,000 genes) have been knocked out by homologous recombination.  David Perkins "How to obtain progeny as random ascospore isolates"  He pioneered N.c. as a model organism.  Carl Lindegren is considered the grandfather of N.c. and yeast genetics.

Picked ascospores from the mature perithica of the crosses made in prior lab class.
     1. Cut out a block of water agar and placed it on a glass slide.
     2.  Took a loopful of sterile water and spread a loopful of ascospores on the agar block.
     3.  Used a "spore picker" to cut out individual ascospores from the agar block and placed into a slant with Vogel's media.
     4.  Placed slants in 4C incubator/refrigerator over night to allow to rehydrate.
     5.  The next day they were heat shocked at 65C for 45 minutes to kill any vegetative growth.


Using fluorescent microscopy we observed fluorescently tagged nuclei moving throughout the active growing N.c. strain and took videos (below) !!!!! REALLY COOL!!!!!!!!!!

We also had available if we had time a Chlorophylum sp. mushroom and was instructed to see if we could observe basidia with spores, Buller's drop (discharge drop to force the dissemination of spore), and to observe clamp connections.  (Did not have time in lab)

Lab Summary: 10/31/12 Beer Making!!!

Compliments of Austin HomeBrew Supply, American Amber Ale kit . The use of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, to begin the fermentation (a pathway for getting rid of NADH+ resulting in CO2 production and ethanol) of the following ingredients:

"The three most important ingredients":

#1 Water
#2 Yeast
#3 Barley/Hops

Continuous stirring of the provided malt extracts ........

Measure the specific gravity of the wort using a hydrometer prior to the fermentation: process, 1.052

 

Addition of the yeast.................

Microscopic view of yeast cells growing isotropically

Evidence of pure active yeast culture

Everything added and ready for the

fermentation process to take place

Evidence fermentation is working

 properly, CO2 production

Unknown #3  "What is wrong with my plants?"

Pansy plugs showing chlorotic foliage and crown rot submitted to TPDDL

Crown tissue embedded
in corn meal agar with hymexazol grown at 26C

Classic "lacy" growth habit of a Phytophthora sp. on V8 agar

Phytophthora sp sporangia stained with lacto-fuchsin

Phytophthora a fungal like organism now in the kingdom of the protist causes crown and root rots of many ornamentals.  Usually compounded by overwatering, compact growing conditions or soil drainage issues.

Lab Summary:  11/14/12  Set up of mushroom kits from Fungi Perfecti

Shitake (Lenitnula edodes) and Pearl Oyster (Pleurotus ostreatus)

Humidity tent  for pearl oyster mushroom kit
continuous misting for 2-3 weeks

Addition of spring water for soaking (2-4hours)
for the shitake mushroom kit.  Create a humidity tent
and continue misting for 2-3 weeks

Oyster mushroom growth right out of the kit (Tasty!!! )

Shitake mushroom growth one week later

Recipe for oyster mushrooms
Fingerling Potatoes with Oyster Mushrooms
7 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 pounds small yellow fingerling potatoes, unpeeled, halved lengthwise
4 tablespoons minced shallots(green onions)
1 garlic clove, minced
1 pound oyster mushrooms torn in 1 inch strips
1 tablespoon fresh parsley

Postion rack in oven in top third and another rack in the bottom third, preheat to 450 degrees.  Brush 2 baking dishes with olive oil.  Place potatoes in single layer in one dish, drizzle with 3 tablespoons olive oil, toss to coat, sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Place potatoes on top rack of oven and roast for 10 minutes.  Sprinkle shallots and garlic.  Transfer potatoes to bottom rack of oven and continue to roast until tender and golden brown, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes longer.  Meanwhile toss mushrooms with olive oil, spread single layer, sprinkle with salt and pepper, roast on top rack of oven until golden brown. stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes.  Combine mushrooms and potatoes, add parsley mix and serve.   

Rack Beer

Specific gravity was 1.014 at the 1st rack
The specific gravity prior to fermentation was 1.052
Therefore, after fermentation the ABW was 3.6%
and 4.59% ABV (excellent results!!)

Discussed fungal meningitis outbreak.  "Fungal meningitis pathogen discovers new appetite for human brains"  Jennifer Frazer, Scientific American 13 November 2012

Lab Summary 11/7/12 Trip to Monterrey Mushroom Farm

Departed from College Station,TX to Madisonville, TX at 8:45am in three vehicles.  The Ebbole Team was bringing up the rear.  Scientific discussion ensued as we traveled eastward about the mating type genes and proteins pertaining to papers being reviewed in Ebbole's fungal genetics class.

As we arrived to the final destination, we were greeted by the plant manager.  He had been working for Monterrey Mushroom for 36 years!!

He then gave us in depth illustration of the process in mushroom production.
1. Chicken manure, urea, and water are added to the straw.  (11days)
2. Continue compost for 9 days until dark brown in color,  free from an ammonia smell, then pasteurized.
3. Sterile millet seeds are coated with mushroom mycelium and spread over the top of the pasteurized compost.  Then a layer of peat moss is spread over the top of the spawn. 
4. Spawn rooms for 13 days.  Temperature, humidity and CO2  levels are critical for the growth of spawn.
5. Set backs 11 days
6. Production rooms 21 days
7. Post crop room 12 hours
  

Sample of the different straw textures as the raw straw on the left
begins to compost and render ready for inoculation of the mushroom  mycelium.

Composting straw

Raw straw bales

Conveyer moving
composted straw to pasteurizer

Tray with spawn
 and peat moss layer

Mushrooms ready for harvest  

Initial growth of
 spawn into mushrooms

Mushrooms ready to be delivered to retail stores

Lab Summary 10/17/12

Neurospora crassa cross observations.  Perithicia were maturing but not yet ready (ascospores had not yet "shot" from the perithicia) to pick individual ascospores.

Neurospora crassa conidia

Crosses of Neurospora crassa 
resulting in perithiucia formation
on minimal Vogel's media

Squash mount of Neurospora crassa 
perithicium showing asci and ascospores

Field collected specimens were available for observation.  We were challenged to classify them as either Ascomycetes or Basidiomycetes.

Basidiomycete

Basidiomycete

Basidiomycete

Basidiomycete

Ascomycete

Ascomycete

Basidiomycete

Basidiomycete

Basidiomycete

Lab Practical 10/10/12

My comments on the lab practical.
I believe the practical was very fair.  There were 20 questions with 16 microscopes set up with different spore types to be identified to genus.  Perhaps there could have been bonus points for providing the species of the fungi observed.

Unknown fungal project :    "What is wrong with my plant?"

Unknown #2 (A SNEAK PEEK!!!) To be continued
Source: Hibiscus plant from nursery retailer submitted to TPDDL 

 

Hibiscus plant with flower blight submitted to TPDDL

Dissecting microscopic view of necrotic flower petals.

Sterile needle transfer of conidia to 1/2 strength PDA grown at 26C

 

Riddel mount set up

Microscopic view of the Riddel mount of Botrytis sp.