Bio-based valorization of fungi for a sustainable food protein production BIO.FUN.PRO.

economy”, declined in the recovery and valorisation of food by-product/wastes available in large quantities at industry: cocoa bean shells (CBS) and rice husks (RH) ii) the exploitation of bio-based and sustainable approaches for mushrooms and functional ingredients production. RATIONALE The increasing growth of the world population, along with growing prosperity, requires a significant increase in food production, reducing food wastes and losses. Circular economy and bio-based industry will drive the sustainable solutions of the next future. Fungi represent a challenging solution for the diet of the future; indoor cultivated mushrooms (source of protein and fiber) are a good example of sustainable food, poorly affected by climate change impact. Quorn, made by F. venenatum, is a good example of successful scale-up and industrial exploitation of fungi. CBS and RH were previously suggested as substrates to growth fungi (Pleurotus spp), creating a solid perspectives about their valorisation. We suggest CBS (obtained from cocoa processing) and RH (produced in big quantity in northern Italy, from rice processing) as strategic matrices useful to prepare new substrates for fungal growth. The enzyme-assisted valorisation of fungal fruitbodies, when combined with green technologies, leads to functional ingredients, converting by-products/wastes in high-value ingredients. The fungal biomasses could be usefully tested to design and produce new foods, replacing proteins from animal origin. MAIN OBJECTIVE: to develop a bio-based process valorising CBS and RH as substrate for the indoor fungal growth, aimed at the production of edible biomass (mushrooms). The fungal ingredients, following complete chemical and nutritional characterization, will be used at pilot level to design a new sustainable “mushburger” . AIMS: to investigate the best stabilizing/processing methods (considering energy saving and mild approaches), aiming to prepare fungal protein/fiber-rich ingredients from mushrooms fruitbodies grown on CBS/RH. Chemical, nutritional, sensorial, rheological characterizations of these ingredients from mushrooms will be carried out by the five RUs, well skilled in all the fields considered by BIO.FUN.PRO. The ingredients isolated from mushrooms will be valorised using new combined approaches (enzyme-driven processing; Pulsed Electric Fields and Ultrasounds). The safety of the “mushburger”, mainly in term of allergenicity of fungal proteins and acrylamide formation, will be considered, beside the nutritional/sensorial assessment, particularly focusing in the chemical score of proteins and the bio-accessibility of minor compounds, like vitamins, using INFOGEST method.