Overview
- Published November 19 in Trends in Biotechnology, the Jiangnan University study reports a gene-edited Fusarium strain named FCPD.
- Lab tests showed FCPD used 44% less sugar to yield the same protein and produced protein 88% faster than the original strain.
- Life-cycle modeling across six countries found up to about 60% lower greenhouse gas emissions versus conventional Fusarium production.
- Compared with chicken production in China, the mycoprotein required roughly 70% less land and reduced freshwater pollution risk by about 78%.
- Edits removed chitin synthase to thin cell walls and pyruvate decarboxylase to adjust metabolism, improving digestibility and lowering nutrient inputs, with scale-up and regulatory pathways still ahead.