Filamentous fungal biomass already has a fibrous structure useful for mycoprotein foods. A 2024 Nature Communications study built a modular synthetic-biology toolkit in the edible fermentation fungus Aspergillus oryzae.
A CRISPR toolkit for an edible fungus
The work established RNP-based CRISPR-Cas9 editing, neutral integration loci, tunable promoters and marker recycling. The goal was to engineer fungal metabolism rather than add animal muscle genes.
More ergothioneine and heme
Engineered strains accumulated higher intracellular ergothioneine. A separate strain with an enhanced eight-step heme pathway produced red biomass with heme levels approaching those in leading heme-containing plant-based meats.
The biomass could be formulated into meat-like patties with relatively little downstream processing.
A prototype, not a market-ready food
The study does not complete regulatory approval, allergenicity assessment, long-term production stability, consumer testing or industrial cost analysis. Increasing heme also does not reproduce all nutritional and sensory properties of animal meat.
The broader contribution is a genetic toolkit for designing edible fungi as food-production organisms.
For related context, see Where Alternative Proteins Stand in 2026: Comparing Plant-Based, Microbial, Insect and Cultivated Meat.
For related context, see Bonito Stock Plus Intense Red Light Turns Euglena Red—Through Chloroplast Loss and Carotenoid Persistence.
For related context, see Pseudomonas Rescues a Stressed Cyanobacterium in an Engineered Sucrose-Sharing Co-Culture.
Reference
- Maini Rekdal V et al. Edible mycelium bioengineered for enhanced nutritional value and sensory appeal using a modular synthetic biology toolkit. Nature Communications. 2024;15:2099. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-46314-8
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