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Posted on 03/03/2002 1:37:29 PM PST by turk99
March 3, 2002
Meat substitute made from fungus in U.S.WASHINGTON (AP) -- A fake meat that is made from fungus, but looks and tastes like chicken, has arrived in U.S. supermarkets. In Europe, the meat substitute rivals soyburgers and similar products in popularity.
Known as mycoprotein, it is marketed under the trade name Quorn (pronounced kworn) and made into a variety of products, including chicken-like nuggets, lasagna and fettuccine Alfredo -- even an alternative to ground beef, called "grounds."
"It's wonderful as far as consumers are concerned," said Leslie Bonci, a nutrition specialist who first tried mycoprotein in a London restaurant. "It's a lot of protein for a minimal amount of calories and three to four grams of fiber.
"Scientists found the fungus growing on farms west of London in the 1960s and discovered that its long strands could be made into a product that mimicked the fibrous tissue of meat.
The fungus is now grown through fermentation, mixed with egg and flavorings and fashioned into imitation chicken or beef.
The product was developed by a subsidiary of the Anglo-Swedish pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca and introduced in Britain in 1985. It is now eaten in one in 20 British households, the company says, and is sold in six other European countries. It arrived in U.S. stores in January after getting approval from the Food and Drug Administration.
"I think it's got a lot of potential. We just have to make sure fungus is not going to appear on the label anywhere," said Bonci, director of sports nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
It doesn't.
Labels on Quorn products say that mycoprotein "comes from a small, unassuming member of the mushroom family, which we ferment like yogurt.
"That sounds much more appealing than calling it a fungus -- mycoprotein means fungal protein -- but it also is not accurate, critics say.
"It has as much to do with mushrooms as you and I have to do with salamanders," said Michael Jacobson, executive director of the advocacy group Center for Science in the Public Interest. "We all know what a mushroom looks like. This ain't it."
His group has complained to the FDA about the label, and says the agency should not have approved mycoprotein without requiring more review of its potential to cause allergic reactions, because it has not been consumed in this country before.
A panel of U.S. scientists that reviewed the product at the manufacturer's expense decided there was little chance people would be allergic to Quorn and that the product had many nutritional benefits. Their report, published last year in the journal Food Technology, was submitted to the government.
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You are so right, most folks don't know that nearly all of a fungus consists of thread like structures growing underground (or in a mixture of soil and manure, in the case of cultivated mushrooms). All mushrooms are what is called the 'fruiting body' of the actual fungus. Most mushrooms are delicious (even the poisonous varieties, which is why you have to be careful when you pick wild mushrooms). They are pure protein, without fat, and have many different flavors.
For those who will not find this appetizing, remember what Bismark said, that if you want to enjoy laws or sausages, you should not watch them being made. If you think fungus eating is unlovely, just watch a film made in a slaughterhouse. Me, I love Prime Rib Roast, smothered in Mushrooms!!
And I can see why the inventors are upset that we confuse FUNGI with MUSHROOMS...there's so much difference between mushrooms and other fungi, after all.
"The fungus is now grown through fermentation, mixed with egg and flavorings"
LOL...so you don't eat fat, I guess, but you DO get to load up on all those healthy artificial FLAVORINGS!! YUMMY!! (ack...gag)
And what if you're allergic to eggs?
His group has complained to the FDA about the label, and says the agency should not have approved mycoprotein without requiring more review of its potential to cause allergic reactions, because it has not been consumed in this country before.
Incredible. These people bitch and bitch about every cuisine there is, saying that this has too many calories, that hasn't enough fiber. Along comes something that sounds like an answer to their harangues, and the first thing they do is bitch some more.
It can only mean one thing. This stuff must taste pretty good.
There's a fungus among us, and I'm glad!
--Boris
The idea seems to be that this product is being used as a meat substitute, and turned into meat-like dishes, much in the same way as soy protein is. The difference is that fungus, such as mushrooms, is a much better substitute than tofu is.
"They're herding us like cattle!"
Be Seeing You,
Chris
Fungi From Yuggoth.
--Boris
Unless you do not eat any prepared food at all, nothing frozen, canned, or in a box or bag, just produce and fresh meat (not smoked meat, mind you), then you are eating artificial flavorings, such as spices, and chemicals in every meal. My father was one of the early food technologists, and I know.
And what if you're allergic to eggs?
In that case I would suggest that you don't eat this product! Did you really need me to make this suggestion?
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