Consumer demand for meat substitute products (MSPs) has risen significantly in recent years, particularly for environmental reasons. Among the various types of MSPs, those based on fungal mycelium have proven to be a sustainable and nutritious alternative (e.g. Quorn™). However, consumer acceptance of FMPs is hampered primarily by the fact that their organoleptic properties differ from those of meat. A key problem is the insufficient incorporation of fats, which can lead to a lack of juiciness and mouthfeel compared to meat. One possible solution is to incorporate vegetable fats, either in encapsulated form or as emulsions. However, this makes FEP less attractive to consumers in terms of the ‘clean label’ trend due to its complex composition. Therefore, the development of alternative strategies to improve organoleptic properties without the addition of oil or fat is of great importance. 

In this project, this alternative is based on the ability of certain fungi to utilise a variety of side streams as substrate for biomass production and to accumulate oil (single cell oil, SCO) intracellularly under specific fermentation conditions. The composition of this SCO is similar to that of vegetable oils and has beneficial nutritional properties. The aim of the project is to develop and scale up a biotechnological process for the sustainable production of mycelium-based FEP with an improved nutritional and taste profile compared to existing products. This will be achieved through a two-phase, controlled fermentation process consisting of a biomass enrichment phase followed by an SCO production phase. Nitrogen- and carbohydrate-rich agro-industrial by-products from Lower Saxony will be used as substrates. In addition, there is a focus on the development of a downstream process for the formulation of a ‘whole-cut’ FEP from the SCO-containing mycelium biomass with improved organoleptic properties compared to existing products.