Mycoprotein??

noumena_
noumena_ Posts: 45 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hey vegetarian/vegan friends. What's the scoop on Quorn and their products made with mycoprotein? The internet is telling me it's the worst thing ever.

Any thoughts?

Replies

  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,204 Member
    This isn't an answer, really, but as a 43+ years vegetarian, I'm a great believer in eating things humans have eaten, and thrived on, for centuries or millennia. (I'm saying this to reveal my prejudices, not to influence you).

    What are your goals: Why does Quorn appeal to you (taste? convenience?
    nutrients? other?).

    It's rational, IMO, to try new things that seem safe, and support your personal goals.

    Personally, I'd prefer traditional (long history) foods that help me achieve my goals over new, more highly processed options . . . but that's a prejudice.

    Usually, this "worst thing ever" rhetoric is nonsense. But, if the novelty/trendiness of it worries you in some way . . . why? What are you trying to achieve? What are the various alternative ways to achieve that?
  • AwesomeSquirrel
    AwesomeSquirrel Posts: 644 Member
    I like the quorn-cheese schnitzel and have also cooked with the quorn mince and quorn pieces. They don’t have a lot of bite or texture in my opinion, Oumph is far nicer if you’re in the market for meat replacements.

    I would say I cook with quorn once every 3 months or so. I much prefer beans/lentils and to a lesser extent tofu to complement the vegetables in my meals.

    Why would it be “the worst thing ever”?
  • minniestar55
    minniestar55 Posts: 350 Member
    edited April 2018
    I use Quorn mince in chili, etc, husband doesn’t like it but I don’t mind it.
  • noumena_
    noumena_ Posts: 45 Member
    Well this doesn't sound healthy to me:

    "The fungus is grown in vats using glucose syrup as food. A fermentation vat is filled with the growth medium and then inoculated with the fungal spores. The F. venenatum culture respires aerobically, so for it to grow at an optimum rate, it is supplied with oxygen, and carbon dioxide is drawn from the vat.

    Some strains of F. venenatum produce a variety of mycotoxins such as type A tichothecenes. Mycotoxin-producing genes like isotrichodermin, isotricodermol, sambucinol, apo-trichothecen, culmorin, culmorone and enniatin B can be found in cultures of F. venenatum. Specific strands that do not produce mycotoxins under optimal conditions can be selected to reduce the danger to human consumers.

    The only mycoprotein on sale in Europe and North America is called Quorn, created from Fusarium venenatum."
  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
    I think it's "the worst thing ever" because I don't like the flavor, but that's just personal preference. Unless you have an allergy or intolerance to any of the ingredients in Quorn, there's no reason not to try it.
  • noumena_
    noumena_ Posts: 45 Member
    AnnPT77 wrote: »

    If you described how the common button mushroom is grown commercially, it would sound pretty scary, too. But they grow on stuff like rotted animal manure instead of nice sugar syrup. (Don't worry, organic farmers grow carrots with animal manure, too!)

    Many commonly eaten foods produce toxins, too. Rhubarb can poison you. Fruit pits contain cyanide. Tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum) is a relative of deadly nightshade (Atropa belladonna), and they have scary Latin names, too.

    The paragraph you quoted sounds scary, but more insight and information is needed in order to understand whether we ought to be worried or not.

    Note: I'm not saying we shouldn't be worried either. I have no idea. I'm not a fungus exist or food scientist.

    That's why I like to eat things humans have thrived for centuries and millennia while eating regularly. It's not a perfect rule either, but it's a useful simplification.

    Thanks for your responses, @AnnPT77. I think I'll finish off the products I bought, but will stick to products with nutrition labels I can read. Boca and Morning Star seem like better options with soy and wheat proteins. I know what those are. :p
  • Icrizz
    Icrizz Posts: 69 Member
    I only buy the Quorn nuggets and "meat" grounds because they're so high in protein and I really struggle with getting enough
  • strongwouldbenice
    strongwouldbenice Posts: 153 Member
    I really like quorn stuff, their cheese schnitzels, mince and chicken pieces are decent calories and protein, and they're pretty yummy. They have an amazing range if you're in the UK (which sadly I'm not anymore).
    I hear a lot of anti-soy stuff as well (which I haven't really looked into and I'm not particularly bothered by) but as I eat tofu and soy sausages a fair bit I like to interchange them with quorn too.
  • kpsyche
    kpsyche Posts: 345 Member
    I haven't tried it yet but plan to (the Quorn products are being advertised on TV here in Australia at the moment and they've made me curious xD)
  • MushroomLadyJR
    MushroomLadyJR Posts: 89 Member
    I don't really understand why you consider it scary. It's just food....or maybe I'm biased. I've been eating quorn regularly for about 2 years. It's tasty and helps me meet my protein goals.
  • ceiswyn
    ceiswyn Posts: 2,256 Member
    In general, scary descriptions of cultivation aside, I find that Quorn makes excellent ‘chicken’ nuggets and burgers to have with waffles and beans, and I’m mildly addicted to their mini cocktail sausages.

    I’m also not dead yet, so they can’t be all that terrible :)

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