Fungal factories for feeding the future: mycoproteins as a sustainable protein source at the interface of food, health, and biotechnology innovation

Abstract

Mycoproteins are gaining attention as alternative protein sources that have the potential to address the nutritional and environmental issues linked to animal products consumption. Since the discovery of Fusarium venenatum as a viable source of mycoproteins, numerous other fungal strains have been explored, leading to products with improved nutritional profiles. From a nutritional perspective, they provide high-quality, digestible proteins with potential gastrointestinal, metabolic and cardiovascular benefits. Regarding the environmental impact, production methods require significantly less land, water and energy compared with animal-based products, which results in lower greenhouse-gas emissions. Economically, mycoproteins fit well into circular systems by integrating various agro-wastes and industrial by-products into the fermentation process. However, potential allergenicity, limited long-term clinical data, scalable production optimization and consumer acceptance are still important challenges to be taken into consideration. This review investigates both the benefits and drawbacks of conventional technologies, while identifying existing gaps and innovation potential driven by artificial intelligence-assisted process optimization, genetic engineering and potential functional properties.