Studying the potential of unusual fungal and bacterial fermentations for plant-based alternatives to meat and dairy

One of the biggest man-made culprits for climate change is the production of animal products. And not only are we becoming increasingly more people in the world over time, our individual consumption of meat and dairy products has also increased. But animal products contribute with vitamins, minerals, proteins, and other important nutrients. It is therefore challenging to replace the products with less polluting products and at the same time ensure that the nutritional content still suffices. However, it is not only the health of the product that is challenging to replace, but also the taste, texture, and properties of the alternative products.
The majority of alternative products are produced from plant bases. Plants and animal products taste very different, as there are many aromatic substances, anti-nutrients and bitter substances in many plants that are not found in animal products. In order to make attractive alternatives that taste and function like animal products, it is important to remove the unwanted flavors and anti-nutrients, and produce textures, nutritional content, and aromas known from the animal products.
This is where fermentation comes into play. Fermentation has been used by humans for millennia to preserve, improve flavor, and promote health in foods. However, so far fermentation has been used very limited in commercial alternatives to animal products. More yogurt alternatives have started adding fermentation cultures, but still contain stabilizers, thickeners, or binders to retain a familiar texture. Other researchers have started studying how we can make meat from stem cells from animals, or how we can brew single-cell proteins. Instead, this thesis examines both the potential for unusual, fermented plant drinks as alternatives to dairy products, and for a more solid, unusual plant base with mushroom fermentation as an alternative to meat products. In addition, the thesis explores new possibilities for using lesser-known fungal strains as fermentation organisms in the future.
Based on all the material reviewed in the thesis, it can be concluded that both new and current plant bases have greater potential as future alternatives to animal products if they are fermented with useful bacteria or fungi. There is still a long way to go and much more to research, but the future of plant-based fermentations looks promising.