Go fish: Danish scientists work on fungi-based seafood substitute

From plant-based meat that "bleeds" to milk grown in a lab, fake meat and dairy have come a long way. One of the most challenging ways to recreate seafood is by scientists, who are training their sights on it.

In order to meet demand from diners for sustainable plant-based alternatives that are as good as or better than the real thing, scientists in Copenhagen are working with a two-Michelin-starred restaurant. The team are trying to create a single product that tastes of the sea by using the micro-organisms found in soil that form a mass of intertwined strands on seaweed.

Scientists don't understand how to make food delicious, so people will not eat it. A lot can be learned from each other. Leonie Jahn, the microbiologist leading the project, said that working with chefs is slowly emerging, but it hasn't happened yet to the extent that would be needed to end up with good products.

The progress made in developing meat-free replicas such as theImpossible Burger has fallen behind seafood alternatives that look like the real thing. Consumers viewed seafood as healthier and more sustainable than they actually were, and recreating the texture of fish and seafood was more difficult. She said that the texture is soft but it is hard to reproduce.

Her team will use mycelium, a type of yeast that resembles yeast and is a topic of particular scientific interest at the moment, with researchers exploring its applications not just in terms of plant-based meat but also for alternatives to plastic. They want to find out how to recreate the delicate texture of seafood.

seaweed doesn't offer ideal growing conditions for mycelium, which means a further challenge

The head chef and co-owner of the restaurant wants to change people's perception of "new foods". He said that creating seafood alternatives was important because he hadn't found anything on the market that he'd put on the menu. The ultimate goal is to create a product that is so delicious in its own right that it is chosen over other foods on the basis of tastiness.

According to a report from the Good Food Institute, which is funding the project, the alternative seafood market grew at an "astonishing rate" in 2021. There is huge unmet consumer demand for alternative seafood according to the report.

The Good Food Institute Europe's science and technology manager, Seren Kell, said that investment in plant-based seafood was at an early stage, but there were exciting innovations such as using 3D printing to mimic fish fillets. She said that the government needs to invest in open-access research and development.

A lot of UK supermarkets have been launching faux fish ranges to cash in on concerns about overfishing, but a lot of what is offered only tenuously resembles seafood.

The higher price of plant-based alternatives was one of the barriers to mass market according to Jens Mller. He wants his company to be cheaper than the products it replaces, and that's why 80% of the roe served in the Danes is Cavi Art.

As the quality of the products increases and the prices decrease, the market will grow quickly. He said that there is an increased awareness of the issues of the ocean and that we need to change our ways.