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SCI097: The next big protein source might not come from a farm — it might come from a bioreactor. Caroline Knight, Lindsay Sant, and Lino Saubolle get into the science of CRISPR-engineered mycoprotein and what it could mean for the future of food.

The star of the show is Fusarium venenatum, a filamentous fungus already used commercially in meat substitutes. Its microscopic hyphae form mycelium networks with a fibrous structure that closely mimics muscle tissue — giving it a chewy, meat-like texture when processed. The catch? A thick chitin cell wall limits how easily the human digestive system can access the protein inside.

Scientists turned to CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing to fix that. Two targeted gene deletions transformed the fungus: one knocked out chitin synthase, thinning the cell wall for better digestibility; the other removed pyruvate decarboxylase, redirecting carbon that would have become ethanol waste into protein biosynthesis instead. The result is a new strain — FCPD — that produces protein 88% faster and requires 44% less sugar input for the same yield.

The environmental numbers are striking. A life cycle assessment found the engineered fungus produces 60% fewer greenhouse gas emissions than conventional fermentation, requires 70% less land than chicken farming, and reduces freshwater pollution by 78%. Because fermentation operates in large stainless steel bioreactors indoors, it can in principle be deployed almost anywhere — including regions where traditional farming is unviable.

Caroline, Lindsay, and Lino also look at what this means for places like Australia, where drought and flooding already threaten livestock farming, and whether mycoprotein could practically supplement conventional meat in everyday diets. The Catholic angle doesn’t go unnoticed: if it walks like meat and chews like meat, it just might be the perfect Lenten protein.

The team is unanimous on one thing: whoever named the new strain “FCPD” needs to hand over the marketing rights immediately.

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Links for this episode:

• ScienceDirect Article: CRISPR and Sustainable Protein Research
• CRISPR Supercharges a Meatlike Fungus Into a Sustainable Protein Powerhouse

• If you enjoy Let’s Science, check out Caroline and Lindsay and Lino’s other show, Catholics of Oz.
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