When the topic of fungi crosses the mind of most people, they associate it with edible mushrooms like portobello or shiitake. Some may think of fungi’s other uses, such as fermentation or food spoilage. But did you know that it can become a source of protein?
As the potential outcomes of meat production and consumption, new alternatives emerge. Plant-based meat alternatives are gaining popularity in the food industry due to the rising climate justice measures; however, they are highly processed due to the added additives, flavorings, coloring, and preservatives. Therefore, plant-based meat could be considered even more unhealthy than traditional meat. Fungi-based protein could be a new contender to this overgrowing popularity in meat alternatives.
Mycoprotein is a protein made from fungus. Many of us know that fungi include mushrooms, parasites, and yeast; some of us know that the cap of the mushroom is the fruiting body. However, mycoprotein is constructed of mycelium–the underground network of hyphae. The primary fungi used for mycoprotein production is Fusarium venenatum, a ground-dwelling, non-pathogenic fungi.
The process of creating mycoprotein is through fermentation. Fermentation allows the transformation of food, such as pickles, bread, yogurt, and cheese, using harmless bacteria or yeast. First, the fungi spores are grown in a fermenter and fed with salt, glucose for carbon, and ammonia for nitrogen. As the fungi grow, they create amino acids or the building blocks of protein. Then, the amino acids merge together, forming mycoprotein. According to statistics by WebMD, “One batch of mycoprotein can take about 5 weeks to make.”
Compared to plant-based alternatives, mycoprotein also benefits us and the environment. An example is lower resource consumption and emission production. In traditional farming methods, livestock require a lot of water and food to survive. According to a research report by the University of Twente, “Agriculture accounts for 92% of the freshwater footprint of humanity; almost one-third relates to animal products.” In addition, the amount of resources used to grow the food for livestock as well. Finally, the process of farming produces a ton of emissions. Cattle, sheep, and goats contribute to greenhouse gas emissions since they produce methane.
Another benefit of mycoprotein is micronutrients and the nine essential amino acids found in traditional meat. The nine essential nutrients are histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine. These nutrients are found in our food and are lacking in plant-based meat alternatives because plants are incomplete proteins. On the contrary, fungi naturally contain micronutrients and essential amino acids because they are not plants. As a result, this makes fungi an excellent alternative to meat.
Finally, the last benefit of fungi-based meat is that it can replicate the texture of meat like chicken breast or steak. Plant-based meat is generally a burger patty form since it is hard to create a piece of “steak” out of plants; if not, the plants are treated with chemicals to alter their texture. Despite that, mycoprotein-produced meat can create fibrous meat via hyphae filaments. As a result, it could be less processed than plant-based meat.
Mycoprotein has a promising future as the market demand and climate change awareness increase. An overview of the market by Exactitude Consultancy states, “The global Mycoprotein market estimated at USD 576.14 million in the year 2020, is projected to reach a revised size of USD 948.86 million by 2029, growing at a CAGR of 5.7% over the analysis period 2022-2029.” Mycoprotein’s market estimate superseded the lab-grown meat market by several hundred million. Furthermore, this estimate could be impacted by the growing climate change justice reforms since traditional farming methods contribute to climate change and greenhouse emissions. Therefore, mycoprotein may become the phenomenon of protein due to its sustainability and nutritional properties.
