Which filamentous fungus is used to make Quorn mycoprotein?

The filamentous fungus used to make Quorn mycoprotein is Fusarium venenatum.

Quorn’s main protein ingredient comes from a selected strain of this microfungus, commonly identified as Fusarium venenatum A3/5. Its threadlike hyphae are cultivated in large, oxygenated fermentation vessels. After harvesting, the fungal biomass is heat-treated and processed into mycoprotein, whose texture can resemble meat because the hyphae are long and narrow.

The species was discovered in soil in Buckinghamshire, England, in 1967 during an industrial search for alternative protein sources. It was initially misidentified as Fusarium graminearum. The commercial process was developed through work involving ICI and Rank Hovis McDougall, and the United Kingdom approved mycoprotein for sale as food in 1984.

Neurospora crassa is another filamentous fungus used extensively in genetics, but it is not Quorn’s production organism. Aspergillus niger is important in industrial enzyme and citric-acid production, while Rhizopus oligosporus is associated with tempeh fermentation.