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It's good to see this research getting publicity. The comments about economics here are spot on. Fungi are, as far as I’ve seen, the most efficient organisms at
by plaidfuji 3y ago
It's good to see this research getting publicity. The comments about economics here are spot on. Fungi are, as far as I’ve seen, the most efficient organisms at converting carbon and nitrogen into protein. And they’re able to handle a wide variety of carbon sources.. in fact this is part of why they produce so much protein - they need to secrete enzymes (proteins) to break down basically all forms of organic matter.. polysaccharides, fats, proteins.. this is literally their job in the world.
Filamentous fungi (featured here) are even more interesting. The filaments are called hyphae, and you can think of them as microtubules for nutrient scavenging. Some filamentous fungi can grow hyphae and penetrate them into the exoskeletons of insects. Hyphae are almost pure fiber and protein, in about a 50/50 ratio. One of the most complete nutritional sources in a single organism. Combined with the fact you can grow them at scale in industrial fermentation processes, they have the potential to be the most economical source of protein in the world.
- jl6 3y agoHow do we kill hyphae so that they don’t continue doing that penetrating thing after we eat them?
- Loic 3y agoCooking.
- Terr_ 3y agoAlso humans already consume many varieties of fungi without needing to cook them. [0] The human digestive-process and immune-system are actually pretty dang successful at erasing would-be colonizers. (We mainly notice the failures.) Even the dangerous fungi are typically that way because of posthumous revenge-poison stocked up in their tissues, which is not a feature anybody should be permitting in their production process anyway. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edible_mushroom https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edible_mushroom
- xenonite 3y ago> most complete nutritional sources Fat is missing though, and there is no essential need for fiber. And what about vitamines? Water-soluble and fat-soluble vitamines? The latter of which are probably totally missing. All of those are found in good meat, however.
- raverbashing 3y agoFat can be added, as well as vitamin supplementation > there is no essential need for fiber Thinking of food only on its nutritional aspects is reductive From a health point of view, fiber is a necessity
- causi 3y agoThinking of food only on its nutritional aspects is reductive The comment is literally regarding its nutritional aspect. "One of the most complete nutritional sources".
- xenonite 3y ago> Thinking of food only on its nutritional aspects is reductive A reductive approach seems to be the problem of artificial meat, in the first place. > From a health point of view, fiber is a necessity If there is a healthy microbiome to digest the fiber, you may want to feed that microbiome with fiber so it stays alive, and even improve the population that way. And I see that fiber can mitigate blood sugar spikes. However, fiber also takes up valuable minerals, prohibiting their uptake. I do not think that the situation is as clear cut as you present it.
- InSteady 3y agoFiber is essential fuel for all kinds of microbes that produce immune-modulating molecules and neurotransmitter precursors for us. >However, fiber also takes up valuable minerals, prohibiting their uptake. I do not think that the situation is as clear cut as you present it. If this were actually a concern, it would be beneficial to extract all nutrients from whole foods and consume them as a pill (vitamin) instead of eating our nutrition. This has not borne out in extensive research despite billions of dollars invested into developing and marketing nutrient supplements.
- miningape 3y agoOff topic question, what happen to hyphae when they meet? do they fuse? do they knot around eachother?