Toomas Paalme

Within the project, data from farms, transport, slaughterhouses, and laboratory analyses will be collected and integrated to evaluate how production conditions influence carcass lesions and pork quality. In parallel, a data-driven feedback system will be developed, enabling producers to benchmark their results and make more informed management decisions, while also providing a foundation for the further development of the Estonian pork quality scheme. The project's key value lies in its collaborative approach, bringing stakeholders together to establish a sector-wide quality framework and strengthen the market position of Estonian pork. The project is supported by expert advice from scientists from the Finnish Institute of Natural Resources (LUKE) (Liisa Keto et al.).

The existing solid face fermentation systems do not ensure the optimal oxygen supply, nor temperature, high microbial contamination risk is also common for those systems. The aim of current project is to develop a simple and cheap system for cultivation of fungi or mycelium equipped with oxygen and temperature control. That improves the growth rate and yield of fungal biomass. System is universal, in addition to cultivation of fungi it enables to carry out high temperature composting. We use 20 - 200 L polypropylene bags as cultivation vessels, that are equipped with process control head. This cultivation vessel enables sterilization, aseptic inoculation, aeration and cooling of growth substrate. Cultivation vessel is connected to control system for oxygen and temperature monitoring and process control at least in 4 individual cultivation vessels.