Commercialization of mycoprotein in side-streams

The production of numerous industrial foods and beverages result in large quantities of waste often referred to as side-streams. These side-streams are often not utilized, or they are processed under high consumption of energy and used for animal feed.
Many side-streams consists of plant parts usable for human consumptions and are often rich in fibres, minerals, carbohydrates, and vitamins. Some of the major problems with using side-streams for human consumption, are the easy spoilage after production, taste of the product, and nutrient availability.

One way to utilize these side-streams is through fermentation. Beneficial bacteria such as those found in kombucha, cheese, yoghurt, or kimchi, induces pleasant flavours while conserving the substrate by acidifying the substrate (lowering pH) and removing easily available sugars. However, they do little in adding to the nutrient composition of the substrate.

Fungal mycelium is an established way to turn carbohydrates into proteins. Currently, very few companies have products on the market with fungal mycelium. The most well-known is Quorn produced by Marlow Foods. Quorn products are produced by Fusarium venenatum. This strain grows on very simple and carbohydrate-dense media. we will look for new fungal species for food fermentation.