15SAF-IP Functional mycoproteins from the Quorn fermentation process as novel sustainable ingredients

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Milk, whey and eggs are currently the main sources of functional proteins utilised by food processors as emulsifiers, foaming and gelling ingredients. However, due to their high costs, market volatility and high environmental impact, the food industry is looking for sustainable alternatives. There has been a growing trend to replace them with plant proteins such as soy proteins; however soy has been tainted by the association with genetic modification. Other strategies include extraction of proteins from the food industry's waste streams, including brewing effluents and vegetable processing co-products.In this context the production of fungal proteins (or mycoproteins) by Marlow Foods for use in their meat-replacer product Quorn is a potential alternative source of sustainable functional proteins. Based on the fermentation of starch into protein by the fungus Fusarium venenatum, this process was shown to result in 90% lower emission rates of greenhouse gases and benefits on land and water footprints in comparison with beef products. In addition a liquid waste stream is generated as part of the fermentation process and is currently unexploited. A current EPSRC-funded collaboration between Marlow Foods, Heriot-Watt University and the University of Edinburgh highlighted that proteins extracted from the Quorn fermentation broth and waste stream on a laboratory scale displayed outstanding foaming, emulsifying and/or gelling properties, and showed potential and fat- or egg-replacing ingredients. Following this initial study, we now propose to produce and extract functional fungal proteins (FFPs) from the Quorn fermentation process as sustainable, environmentally-friendly and cost-effective alternatives to animal proteins for the food industry. Innovate UK funding will allow the Marlow Foods-led consortium to design and assess a scalable protein extraction process for both fermentation broth and waste stream according to protein purity, yield, functionality, composition and associated costs. The results obtained will then be used to investigate the technical and economic feasibility of optimising the Quorn fermentation process for FFP production. The extracted proteins will then be characterised as functional alternatives to animal proteins, fat-reducing and sucrose-reducing agents in food products in partnership with new collaborators Mars Chocolate and New-Food Innovation. In addition, Marlow Foods will assess the feasibility of reintegrating FFPs extracted from the waste stream back into the Quorn process as egg albumen replacer (used as a binding agent), which would further reduce its environmental impact. Based on our preliminary study it is estimated that up to 13,500 tons of fungal proteins (at 80% protein purity) could be produced per year, which if used to replace functional animal proteins could open up a market worth £71M per annum. In addition the exploitation of protein extracts from the waste effluent could open an additional £13M per annum market. This project will contribute to improve quality of life by offering manufacturers cost-effective functional protein alternatives, allowing them to offer cheaper products to the benefit of consumers. In addition, the potential use of FFPs as fat replacers or sucrose replacers could contribute to reducing the impact of obesity and type-2 diabetes.