Simulation Model of a Production Facility of Agaricus bisporus Mycelium for Decision-Making Support

Sustainability and efficiency are key factors in agro-food industry, since the success of companies in this sector relies on the achievement of these objectives. Decision-making support may contribute decisively to this task. A model for a production facility of mycelium of the mushroom variety of Agaricus bisporus is described. This model has been developed using the paradigm of the Petri nets and can be integrated in a decision support tool for performing structural analysis with the purpose of identifying certain features, such as feasible deadlocks. A complementary and promising possibility consists of using the model for performance evaluation by simulation of the behavior of the system in combination with the outcome of a life cycle assessment. This approach allows developing a what-if analysis or an optimization process to seek for good or quasi-optimal decisions taking into account financial, as well as environmental issues, among other possibilities.