A critical review of fungal proteins: Emerging preparation technology, active efficacy and food application

Background: With the growth of the population, the global demand for sustainably produced protein is continuously increasing. However, the health issues and environmental impact of meat as a traditional, primary source of protein have long been controversial. Nowadays, fungal protein is considered to be a promising new source of protein due to its environmentally friendly, energy efficient and nutritious properties. Scope and approach: This review provides an overview of superior nutritional properties of different sources of fungal proteins from yeast, mould and macrofungi, with a special focus on unique health-related bioactivities. Besides, the preparation technology and applications in food processing of fungal protein are summarized for the first time and concluded with an outlook on its future research directions. Key findings and conclusions: Different fungi-derived proteins have high protein content, along with complete and balanced amino acid composition. Some of the proteins and peptides in fungi, especially mushrooms, have great potential for improving human health and treating or preventing diseases. The different forms of fungal proteins obtained through green and economical fermentation processes, followed by stepwise fractionation and extraction processes, have a wide range of applications in food processing, such as meat analogues, enzyme preparation and food additives. For better exploiting fungal proteins value in the future, systematic strategy should be established among their characteristics, production, processing technologies, and specific application scenarios.