The present invention relates to the use of a defoaming agent for preventing pellet morphology of thermophilic fungi when grown at acidic pH in chemically defined media. The invention pertains to processes for producing a fermentation product, wherein the thermophilic fungus, e.g. a Rhizomucor species, is grown in submerged culture at acidic pH in a chemically defined medium and wherein the strain is cultured in the presence of a defoaming agent. The defoaming agent can be a vegetable oil such as olive or sun flower oil and the fermentation product can be single cell protein in the form of biomass of the thermophilic fungus for use as a dietary source of protein.

The present invention relates to a process for producing single cell protein, wherein a thermophilic fungus is grown a fermentable carbon-rich feedstock at a high temperature and at an acidic pH. This allows for a cost effective fermentation process that can to be run under non-sterile conditions and without additional cooling requirements. The process can be used to convert by-products or waste from agriculture or food production, or organic fractions of municipal solid waste into valuable single cell protein that can be applied as dietary source of protein or protein supplement in human food or animal feed.

There is described a continuous process for producing and isolating mycoprotein. The process may comprise the steps of: providing a fermentation media suitable for producing mycoprotein; introducing the fermentation media to a first fermentation vessel; fermenting the fermentation media to obtain a mixture comprising mycoprotein and partially spent fermentation media; isolating at least part of the partially spent fermentation media from the mixture comprising mycoprotein and partially spent fermentation media; and reintroducing at least a portion of the isolated partially spent fermentation media into the first fermentation vessel. Also described is mycoprotein obtained from the process.

A method for preparing a fermented food by using a Rhizopus microsporus strain is provided. The method includes the following steps: providing an isolated and purified Rhizopus microsporus strain, and its deposit number is DSM 34400; and inoculating the isolated and purified Rhizopus microsporus strain to a substrate for fermentation to form a fermented food. The substrate includes a legume, a processing residue of a legume, or a combination thereof.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a method for producing selenoneine that allows production of selenoneine at higher yields, even if an inorganic selenium compound is used as a selenium compound. This purpose can be achieved by a method for producing selenoneine, comprising the step of applying histidine and a selenium compound to a transformant to obtain selenoneine, wherein the transformant has at least one gene selected from the group consisting of a SatA gene, a CysB gene and a MetR gene, and an EgtA gene inserted therein and can overexpress the inserted genes.

A novel method of growing fungi is disclosed which uses an engineered artificial media and produces high density filamentous fungi biomats that can be harvested with a minimum of processing and from which fungal products such as antibiotics, proteins, and lipids can be isolated, the method resulting in lowered fungus cultivation costs for energy usage, oxygenation, water usage and waste stream production.

A novel method of growing fungi is disclosed which uses an engineered artificial media and produces high density filamentous fungi biomats that can be harvested with a minimum of processing and from which fungal products such as antibiotics, proteins, and lipids can be isolated, the method resulting in lowered fungus cultivation costs for energy usage, oxygenation, water usage and waste stream production.

A novel method of growing fungi is disclosed which uses an engineered artificial media and produces high density filamentous fungi biomats that can be harvested with a minimum of processing and from which fungal products such as antibiotics, proteins, and lipids can be isolated, the method resulting in lowered fungus cultivation costs for energy usage, oxygenation, water usage and waste stream production.

The present invention has revealed that an antiviral agent containing a serine protease such as subtilisin, nattokinase, and trypsin has an effect of inactivating non-envelope type viruses, and that combining such an antiviral agent containing a serine protease with a cationic polymer enhances the inactivation effect of the antiviral agent against non-envelope type viruses. As a result, an antiviral agent that is highly safe, that has a high virus inactivation ability, and that contains a component that is inexpensive in terms the manufacturing cost and a cationic polymer, was discovered.

The present disclosure relates to a food product comprising a pure fungi biomass, the pure fungi biomass comprising fungi of a species belonging to the genus Rhizopus, wherein the dry weight of the food product comprises within the range of from 10% to 100% of dry weight of the fungi biomass the fungi biomass comprising fungi biomass fibers, wherein 50% or more, such as 70% or more, or 80% or more of the fungi biomass fibers are aligned substantially in planes extending in a first direction. The present disclosure also relates to a method for producing the food product and use of a pure fungi biomass for preparing a food product.