A fungus that's been quietly sitting in supermarket freezers as Quorn just got a significant upgrade. Researchers used CRISPR gene-editing to create a strain that produces 88% more protein while consuming 44% less glucose—and the results suggest it could outperform both conventional meat and lab-grown alternatives on nearly every environmental measure.
The fungus in question, Fusarium venenatum, has been used in meat substitutes for decades. It already had advantages: high protein content and a texture closer to animal meat than most plant-based options. But it had two stubborn problems. Its thick cell walls made it harder for humans to digest, and growing it required surprisingly large amounts of sugar and electricity.
Researchers at multiple institutions identified two genes controlling the fungus's metabolism and chitin production—the compound that makes cell walls tough. When they deleted those genes, something useful happened: the engineered strain, which they called FCPD, grew differently. It needed less glucose to thrive and built thinner, more digestible cell walls.
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Start Your News DetoxThe numbers are striking. In a lifecycle analysis across six countries, the modified mycoprotein cut greenhouse gas emissions by up to 61% compared to regular mycoprotein. Measured against chicken on a kilo-for-kilo basis, FCPD required 70% less land and reduced water pollution by 78%. When stacked against lab-grown meat—which has been positioned as the premium sustainability play—the fungus came out ahead on fossil fuel use, land requirements, greenhouse gas emissions, and pollution.
There's a regulatory wrinkle worth noting. Because this fungus wasn't created by inserting foreign DNA, it may sidestep some of the stricter approval processes that modified foods face in regions like the European Union. That could mean a faster path to wider adoption.
Plant-based proteins like pea still edge out mycoprotein on raw environmental impact. But mycoprotein has something they don't: it actually tastes and feels like meat. That gap between sustainability and palatability has always been the real barrier. Most people will choose the food that appeals to them over the one that's slightly better for the planet. If this engineered fungus can close that gap without the price premium of lab-grown meat, it might finally offer something that works for both conviction and appetite.
