Fungi as a Source of Edible Proteins and Animal Feed

Abstract

It is expected that the world population will reach 9 billion by 2050. Thus, meat, dairy or plant-based protein sources will fail to meet global demand. New solutions must be offered to find innovative and alternative protein sources. As a natural gift, edible wild mushrooms growing in the wet and shadow places and can be picked by hand have been used as a food. From searching mushrooms in the forests and producing single cell proteins (SCP) in small scales to mega production, academia, United Nations Organizations, industries, political makers and others, play significant roles. Fermented traditional foods have also been reinvestigated. For example, kefir, miso, and tempeh, are an excellent source for fungal isolates for protein production. Fungi have unique criteria of consuming various inexpensive wastes as sources of carbon and energy for producing biomass, protein concentrate or amino acids with a minimal requirement of other environmental resources (e.g., light and water). Fungal fermented foods and SCP are consumed either intentionally or unintentionally in our daily meals and have many applications in food and feed industries. This review addresses fungi as an alternative source of edible proteins and animal feed, focusing mainly on SCP, edible mushrooms, fungal fermented foods, and the safety of their consumption.

Fish Responses to Alternative Feeding Ingredients under Abiotic Chronic Stress

“…Macroscopic filamentous fungi that form large fruiting bodies are known as mushrooms [ 107 ]. Edible mushrooms are the higher fungi in the Ascomycetes and Basidiomycetes classes [ 108 ]. Great attention was given to the polysaccharides produced by numerous fungi, especially mushrooms, because of their various biological properties, such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, and immunostimulant activities [ 109 ].…”

Protective effect of Agaricus bisporus mushroom against maternal and fetal damage induced by lead administration during pregnancy in rats

“…Edible mushrooms are known to have good quality proteins, high fiber content, large amounts of vitamins and minerals, lectins, and also bioactive compounds such as polysaccharides, β‐glucans and polyphenols (Amara & El‐Baky, 2023).…”

“…Different studies have shown that Ab have significant medicinal properties, such as antitumor, antidiabetic, immunostimulatory, antioxidant, and antiviral effects due to the presence of those bioactive compounds (Amara & El‐Baky, 2023; Goyal et al, 2006; Ramos et al, 2019). Natural substances like mushrooms, garlic, or isolated ones as vitamin E (α‐tocopherol), and ascorbic acid (vitamin C) have been used since ancient times for the prevention and treatment of various pathologies (Chopra & Dhingra, 2021; Stojkovic et al, 2019).…”

Cüce Dünyamız: Nanoteknoloji

“…In recent years, some fungi with high protein value have been produced by cell culture method and used as human food or animal feed. (Amara & El-Baky, 2023). Some fungi are used in the preparation of some special cheeses (Rokfort, Gorgonzola, Kamembert, mouldy cheese produced in Anatolia).…”