Chinese Researchers Gene-Edit Fungus to Cook Up Chicken-Tasting “Meat Substitute”

Chinese Researchers Gene-Edit Fungus to Cook Up Chicken-Tasting “Meat Substitute”

I had hoped that the collapse of “Beyond Meat” this fall signaled the end of attempts to find laboratory substitutes for perfectly delectable animal meat.

Reports indicate that Chinese scientists have used gene-editing technology to create something that tastes like chicken.

Using CRISPR gene editing technology, researchers from Jiangnan University in China took a fungus that is already used as a meat alternative (Fusarium venenatum) and tweaked its DNA to make it easier to digest and less resource-intensive to produce. The result, if brought up to scale, is a genetically engineered fungus that tastes like meat and could have a smaller environmental footprint than traditional livestock or even “lab-grown” cell-cultured meat. The study’s findings were published today in the journal Trends in Biotechnology.

“We successfully made a fungus not only more nutritious but also more environmentally friendly by tweaking its genes,” corresponding author and Jiangnan assistant professor Xiao Liu said in a statement. “Gene-edited foods like this can meet growing food demands without the environmental costs of conventional farming.”

I say animal husbandry, ranching, and dairy herding are perfectly wonderful occupations that are far less environmentally destructive than they have been made out to be by climate cultists. In fact, a United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization report highlights the many benefits provided by livestock agroecosystems and looks beyond supposed environmental burdens. It organizes these benefits into four categories (provisioning, regulating, cultural, and supporting) and links them explicitly to rural development, landscape management, food security, and human well-being.

However, the insanity persists.

China develops gene-edited fungus as meat alternative

China's Jiangnan University scientists have used CRISPR to gene-edit Fusarium venenatum fungus, creating an eco-friendly, faster-growing protein source.

The new strain cuts sugar use by 44%, grows 88% faster and emits up to… pic.twitter.com/HGoGxgkUVp

— Vertrose (@vertrosex) November 21, 2025

CRISPR stands for “Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats.” It refers to a natural defense system found in bacteria that has been adapted into a powerful, precise, and relatively inexpensive gene‑editing technology. The Chinese scientists took a fungus already being used as a meat substitute (Fusarium venenatum) and tweaked it to remove enzymes that helped make it more digestible.

The scientists simply removed genes from the fungal DNA associated with two of its enzymes.

One of the changes made the fungal cell wall thinner and allowed more protein to be packed inside its cell.

The other helped fine-tune the fungal metabolism so that it needed less nutrient input to produce protein.

…The modified fungal strain, dubbed FCPD, needed 44 per cent less sugar to make the same amount of protein as the original strain and it did so 88 per cent faster, the new study noted.

Fusarium venenatum is a filamentous fungus best known as the source organism for commercial “mycoprotein,” a high‑protein, meat‑like food ingredient already used in food products. It is cultured in large fermenters where its mycelium (i.e., the main body of the fungus) forms a fibrous, muscle‑like texture and can reach protein contents above 40% of dry weight.

Scientists have been seeking a mycoprotein for use as an artificial meat that can “strike a balance between improved nutritional value and sensory acceptability.”

Now, I admit that I enjoy eating another type of fungus: Mushrooms. In fact, a perfectly done Portobello mushroom sandwich is one of my favorite meals.

There are reasons that mushrooms are a popular meat substitute.

The meaty taste of mushrooms is rooted in several natural factors. First, some mushrooms possess a texture that is remarkably meat-like, often firm and fibrous, providing that satisfying chew. The Sulphur shelf mushroom, also known as “chicken of the woods,” is a famous example known for its flavor and texture that closely resemble poultry.

Additionally, mushrooms contain specific compounds that create an umami flavor profile — the fifth taste often described as savory or meaty. Glutamates and nucleotides found in these fungi heighten this umami sensation.

According to National Geographic, scientists are actively researching how to enhance these qualities to develop plant-based meat alternatives that truly replicate real meat’s flavor and mouthfeel. Exploring why mushrooms have umami helps us appreciate their role as a natural, tasty meat substitute.

Perhaps modifying a fungus to be tastier is a sounder business strategy for Chinese researchers than playing around with the genomes of highly infectious bat coronaviruses.

However, if this fungus comes on the market, I want its presence clearly labeled…so consumers can make a fully informed choice about the food they are choosing to purchase and eat.

Image by perplexity.ai

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