A fluffy, orange fungus could transform food waste into tasty dishes

Even more striking, Hill-Maini says, was the fact that the N. intermedia strains found in oncom were genetically different from wild strains, but very similar to strains found growing on waste such as sugarcane fiber in Taiwan and corn cobs in Papua New Guinea. That pattern suggests that humans may have domesticated N. intermedia, similar to how Penicilium used to make blue cheese has coevolved (SN: 9/6/22).

“We think that, basically, humans have turned to a fungus to grow on something that we can’t eat,” Hill-Maini says. “The fungus then breaks it down, makes more of itself, and in doing so makes it more palatable.” And more nutritious, too: The researchers found that fermentation increased the protein content of the pulpy soy by-product.

The next question: Is N. intermedia appealing to people who aren’t used to its flavor? To find out, Hill-Maini and colleagues presented the Javanese dish of red oncom to a group of 61 Danish taste testers. Overall, the participants liked its texture, appearance and flavor, which they overwhelmingly described as “mushroom” or “nutty.”

But different combinations of fungus and the substrate it grows on can lead to different flavors. Rather than use food waste, Chef Rasmus Munk of Alchemist, a two-star Michelin restaurant in Copenhagen, experimented with growing N. intermedia on a rice custard that starts off white and bland. After a few days with the fungus, the custard looks like it’s been dusted with cheese — and the flavor has transformed to taste, surprisingly, like pineapple.

Hill-Maini is most excited about the prospect of using N. intermedia at an industrial scale. Waste made during food production, like the soybean pulp left over from making soy milk, could be immediately set aside, fermented and turned into another food, similar to how red oncom is made. That’s what the engineers at Alchemist’s food lab, Spora, are studying: new ways to use microbes, including N. intermedia, to turn waste into delicious food that’s also healthy, affordable and sustainable.

Perhaps someday we can make as much use of the fungus as it does of our waste.