History
Microbial biomass is produced commercially as single cell protein (SCP) for human food or animal feed and as viable yeast cells for the baking industry. The industrial production of bakers’ yeast started in the early 1900s and yeast biomass was used as human food in Germany during WWI. The development of large-scale processes for the production of microbial biomass as a source of commercial protein began in earnest in the late 1960s. Several of the processes investigated did not come to fruition owing to political and economic problems but the establishment of the ICI Pruteen process for the production of bacterial SCP for animal feed was a milestone in the development of the fermentation industry. This process utilized continuous culture on an enormous scale (1500 m3) and is an example of the application of good engineering to the design of a microbiological process. The economics of the production of SCP as animal feed were marginal, which eventually led to the discontinuation of the Pruteen process. The technical expertise gained from the Pruteen process assisted ICI in collaborating with Rank Hovis McDougall on a process for the production of fungal biomass for human food. A continuous fermentation process for the production of Fusarium venenatum biomass (marketed as Quorn@) was developed utilizing a 40 m3 air-lift fermenter. This process was based on sound economics and has proved to be a major economic success.
During the 1960s, it was predicted that by the 1980s there would be a shortage of protein-rich foods. In response to this, research programmes were undertaken to use single-cell biomass as an animal feed. Contrary to the trend, J. Arthur Rank instructed the Rank Hovis McDougall (RHM) Research Centre to investigate converting starch (the waste product of cereal manufacturing undertaken by RHM) into a protein-rich food for human consumption.
The filamentous fungus, or more precisely the mould, Fusarium venenatum, was discovered in 1967. After an extensive screening process, it was isolated as the best candidate. In 1985, RHM was given permission to sell mycoprotein for human consumption after a ten-year evaluation program.
Read more about this topic: Quorn
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