Tired of turkey? Try gene edited, meat-like fungi.

It might not seem so obvious when walking past rows of vacuum-sealed Butterball turkeys at the supermarket, but the world is on the brink of a protein shortage. Global demand for animal-based protein is expected to double by 2050 and while plant-based alternatives exist, enthusiasm around them has wavered in recent years. One possible solution to the brewing protein problem:gene-edited fungus.

Using CRISPR gene editing technology, researchers from Jiangnan University in China took a fungus that is already used as a meat alternative (Fusarium venenatum) and tweaked its DNA to make it easier to digest and less resource-intensive to produce. The result, if brought up to scale, is a genetically engineered fungus that tastes like meat and could have a smaller environmental footprint than traditional livestock or even “lab-grown” cell-cultured meat. The study’s findings were published today in the journal Trends in Biotechnology.

“We successfully made a fungus not only more nutritious but also more environmentally friendly by tweaking its genes,” corresponding author and Jiangnan assistant professor Xiao Liu said in a statement. “Gene-edited foods like this can meet growing food demands without the environmental costs of conventional farming.” 

Turning fungi into ‘meat’

Deriving protein alternatives from fungi and other microbes isn’t new. The process typically involves selecting a microbe and growing it in a steel bioreactor. Once inside the bioreactor, it’s fed a steady supply of nutrients—usually a combination of sugars and minerals. Over time, this mixture develops into a large, protein-rich biomass that often looks like a goopy slurry or a soft bread dough, depending on the microbe. 

Even if that doesn’t sound all that appetizing, the resulting biomass can then be processed into a variety of high-protein foods. Unlike raising cattle or pigs, microbial cultivation isn’t dependent on seasons or temperature fluctuations. It also can be more sustainable, as the production of animal proteins may account for around 37 percent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions.

The first commercial microbial-protein product, a type of animal feed called Pruteen, actually dates back to the 1970s. Today, several other varieties are available for human consumption in grocery stores.

The power of Fusarium veneatum

When it comes to making these alternatives with fungi, engineers have long preferred Fusarium venenatum for protein farming because it produces a texture that closely resembles meat. But the production process isn’t perfect. This particular fungus has thick cell walls that make it difficult for humans to digest, and it requires a substantial amount of resources to grow it into a biomass that’s useful as a protein alternative. That’s a problem, especially if part of the appeal of microbial protein is reducing the environmental impact associated with traditional animal agriculture.

That’s where the power of CRISPR comes in. Liu and his colleagues wanted to see if they could identify and “knock out” the specific genes in the fungus’s DNA to simultaneously boost  digestibility and overall production efficiency. It took them some time to find the right targets, but eventually they removed genes associated with the enzymes chitin synthase and pyruvate decarboxylase. Eliminating the chitin synthase-related enzymes reduced the fungus’s cell wall integrity, making it easier to digest. Meanwhile, removing the pyruvate decarboxylase-related enzymes, fine-tuned the fungus’s metabolism, reducing the amount of nutrients needed to produce protein.

This new, edited DNA strain required 44 percent less sugar to produce the same amount of protein as a non-genetically altered strain. It was also able to produce protein 88 percent faster than the original version. Using these figures as a starting point, the team simulated the environmental impact of producing their fungus at scale compared to traditional animal protein. While there’s many factors involved such as the type of agricultural infrastructure available to particular counties, the researchers reported that their genetically altered strain would require 70 percent less land to produce the same amount of protein as chickens.

“Taken together, this work provides compelling evidence that CRISPR/Cas-based technology is a powerful gene editing tool that could simultaneously enhance the nutritional properties and sustainability of MP [microbial protein], which will help drive long-term development of the alternative protein industry,” the researchers write in the paper. 

Related: [This fermented meat alternative could help halve global deforestation rates]

Reducing  animal consumption is easier said than done

These new findings come amid a period of rapid change in protein alternatives. While popular plant-based meat products, such as those offered by Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods, experienced major commercial success in the mid-2010s, the brands have seen sales decline as of late. They have also faced growing criticism, whether justified or not, for containing higher levels of sodium and other additives compared to animal protein.

Cultivated meat, which refers to animal protein grown in a lab from animal cells, is gaining popular attention and attracting billions in investment at the same time. Shoppers are also curious: a 2024 survey from Purdue University found that two-thirds of respondents said they would try cultivated meat or chicken in a restaurant. 

Even though this type of cultivated protein is still many years away from mainstream availability (a single lab-grown chicken nugget currently costs around $50 to produce), it is already facing backlash. In the United States, several states including Florida and Mississippi, have already passed legislation banning the production or sale of cultivated meat. It’s also  not a uniquely American aversion. Last year, Italy officially became the first country to ban the production, sale, or import of cultivated meat or animal feed.

All that’s to say fermented microbial meat alternatives like fungus could have some big barriers to break down, especially as global demand for protein-rich diets continues to skyrocket. Increased use of gene-edited fungal foods could mean less land and fewer resources devoted to raising livestock, and fewer  creatures living out their final days in a slaughterhouse. 

 

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