TW201809260A - Edible fungus - Google Patents

Abstract

A method of reducing the level of RNA in a biomass comprising filamentous fungus involves the following steps: (i) heating the biomass, downstream of the fermenter to a first temperature in the range 40-69 DEG C; (ii) heating the biomass to a second temperature which is 6-20 DEG C greater than the first temperature, to facilitate release of RNA from cells of the filamentous fungus; and (iii)separating filamentous fungus having a reduced level of RNA from other components. The fluid removed in step (iii) may be recirculated to a heat exchanger, which is used to heat the biomass in step (i).

Description

   Edible fungi   

The present invention relates to edible fungi, and, although not exclusively, specifically to methods for reducing the ribonucleic acid (RNA) content of edible fungi and the edible fungi themselves with reduced RNA content.

Mold proteins (or fungal proteins) are used in many food products as meat substitutes. Mold proteins are usually obtained from the fungus Fusarium venenatum (previously classified as Fusarium graminearum ) described in WO95 / 23843.

Fusarium aureus is grown in a sterile fermentation tank by continuous or batch aerobic fermentation in water and glucose solutions with continuous nutrient feed. Fast-growing fungal cells produce nucleic acids, such as RNA. If used in food products, consider that RNA may be broken down into purines and metabolized to uric acid, which may lead to the development of gout and kidney stones.

To produce mold protein-based food products that are more suitable for human consumption, fungi are heat treated to reduce RNA content. The specification states that the nucleic acid content of food products should not exceed about 2% by weight. Heat treatment deactivates fungal proteases and ribonuclease (RNAase) inhibitors, which results in high retention of fungal proteins and efficient removal of most RNA by RNAase. The waste product decomposed by RNA diffuses through the fungal cell wall into the fermentation broth culture medium, and is then separated from the mold protein solids by centrifugation.

WO95 / 23843 discloses the growth of Fusarium Graminaerum in a continuous fermentation tank at 28 ° C in the presence of a growth medium, providing continuous aeration with sterile air containing ammonia gas. Next, in order to remove the RNA, the culture was passed through a continuously stirred tank reactor, and steam was injected into the culture to heat-treat the culture, and the temperature was increased to a particularly preferred temperature higher than 72 ° C. As a result, RNA is passed downstream from the fungus into the growth medium and the treated fungus with reduced RNA can be isolated.

The yield of the method is relatively low (about 70%). It is an object of the present invention to address this problem.

In addition, the energy required to raise the temperature of the culture to a preferred temperature above 72 ° C is substantial. It is an object of a preferred embodiment of the present invention to reduce energy consumption in such described methods.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for reducing the content of RNA in a filamentous fungus-containing biomass, said method comprising the steps of: (i) heating said biomass downstream of a fermentation tank producing a filamentous fungus To a first temperature; (ii) the biomass is then heated to a second temperature higher than the first temperature to facilitate the release of RNA from the filamentous fungal cells; (iii) the filamentous fungus-containing biomass Separation from other components, such as from the other components in the mixture produced in step (ii), which suitably contains said RNA with reduced amount compared to the content in the biomass heated in step (i) Content of filamentous fungi.

The first heating of the filamentous fungus-containing biomass downstream of the fermentation tank suitably comprises heating the biomass to the first temperature as described. The method preferably does not involve any heating (eg, active heating) of the biomass downstream of the fermentation tank before heating the biomass to the first temperature.

Preferably, the biomass is heated in step (i) using a first heating device. The first heating of the filamentous fungus-containing biomass downstream of the fermentation tank suitably includes heating the biomass to the first temperature using the first heating device. Suitably, no other heating device is provided between the exit of the fermentation tank (through which the biomass of the filamentous fungus passes to the downstream) and the first heating device.

The first heating of the biomass in step (i) preferably does not involve direct contact of the biomass with any heating fluid; the first heating preferably does not involve direct contact of the biomass with steam.

In step (i), the biomass may be heated to increase its temperature by at least 20 ° C, such as by at least 25 ° C. The temperature can be increased by less than 40 ° C, such as less than 36 ° C.

In step (i), the biomass may contact the first heating device for at least 2 minutes, such as at least 2.5 minutes, to reach the first temperature. The biomass can reach the first temperature in less than 20 minutes, preferably less than 12 minutes after contacting the first heating device.

The first temperature may be at least 40 ° C, preferably at least 45 ° C, more at least 50 ° C, and especially at least 55 ° C. The first temperature may be lower than 68 ° C, preferably lower than 65 ° C, even lower than 63 ° C, especially 61 ° C or lower.

Step (i) may be performed in a container (A), such as a preheated container, which suitably has an inlet downstream of the fermentation tank, and between the fermentation tank and the inlet there is a method for transferring biomass from the fermentation The trough is transferred to the catheter (A) of the container (A).

The heating in step (i) suitably involves contacting the biomass with a heat source having a maximum temperature of less than 100 ° C, less than 95 ° C, or less than 91 ° C. Heating may involve contacting the biomass with a heat source having a temperature of at least 60 ° C, preferably at least 76 ° C.

The heating in step (i) suitably involves subjecting the biomass to a temperature not exceeding 99 ° C, preferably not exceeding 95 ° C, and especially not exceeding 91 ° C. Heating may involve subjecting the biomass to a temperature of at least 55 ° C, preferably at least 75 ° C.

Preferably, step (i) comprises heating the biomass using a solid object that is in proper contact with the biomass. The solid object is preferably configured to conduct heat to the biomass. When step (i) is performed in a container (A), a heat exchanger is suitably connected to the container (A) to transfer heat to the biomass. Step (i) of the method preferably does not involve contacting the biomass with a fluid (e.g., steam) for heating the biomass to the first temperature.

In step (i), the biomass is preferably at least partially a substance (e.g., a fluid) produced by the method (e.g., downstream of step (i) and / or downstream of the container (A)) heating. Preferably, heat is conducted from the fluid to the biomass; and suitably the fluid is not in direct contact with the biomass and / or is not mixed with the biomass. In step (i), the biomass may be heated by a substance generated by and / or after heating the biomass to the second temperature in step (ii). Preferably, the substance (for example, a fluid) produced in the method is introduced into a heat exchanger suitably connected to the container (A) as described above.

Preferably, in the method, during the passage of the material group from the fermentation tank to the inlet of the container (A) (where the biomass is heated to the first temperature), there are no additives (for example, for adjusting pH or diluted biomass). Therefore, in the duct (A) located between the fermentation tank and the inlet of the container (A) and in the container (A) itself, the composition of the biomass is substantially fixed and / or unchanged .

In step (ii) of the method, the biomass may be heated to increase its temperature by at least 2 ° C, preferably at least 4 ° C, and even at least 6 ° C. It can be heated to increase its temperature to less than 20 ° C, preferably less than 15 ° C, and even less than 12 ° C.

The second temperature may be at least 60 ° C, preferably at least 62 ° C, and even at least 64 ° C. It may be less than 68 ° C, such as less than 67 ° C.

The heating of the biomass in step (ii) may involve contacting the heated fluid (e.g., steam) with the biomass (e.g., direct contact). When step (i) occurs in the container (A), the heating in step (ii) suitably occurs downstream of the container (A). It can occur in a conduit (B), which is located downstream from the container (A) and communicates with the container (A). The catheter (B) may be configured to deliver biomass to the RNA removal container.

The heating of the biomass in step (ii) preferably uses steam higher than 100 ° C, such as higher than 120 ° C or higher than 140 ° C, and a pressure greater than 3 barg or greater than 5 barg.

In the method, the biomass can be maintained at the second temperature (eg, in a range of 60 to 67 ° C, such as 64 to 66 ° C) for at least 10 minutes, at least 20 minutes, or preferably at least 30 minutes. . It can be maintained at the temperature for less than 2 hours, such as less than 1 hour.

After step (ii), and suitably downstream (if provided) of the RNA removal container, the biomass may be contacted with a heated fluid (eg, steam), for example, for hygiene reasons.

In step (iii), the biomass can be treated to remove fluids (e.g., mainly water), thereby producing biomass containing low fluid (e.g., water) content. After treatment, the biomass may include less than 40 wt% water, preferably less than 30 wt%, such as less than 25 wt% water.

Step (iii) may include centrifuging the biomass. Step (iii) may include separating the dehydrated biomass.

The fluid (e.g., containing water) removed in step (iii) (e.g., the supernatant produced by centrifugation as described) may be relatively geothermal. For example, it may have a temperature above 50 ° C, above 60 ° C, or above 70 ° C. The temperature of the fluid (eg, containing water) may be below 90 ° C. Preferably, the removed fluid (eg, containing water) is used to heat the biomass in step (i). It is suitably configured to heat the biomass to the first temperature. In a preferred embodiment, in addition to the ambient temperature, no heat source other than the fluid (eg, containing water) removed in step (iii) is used to heat the biomass to the first temperature.

When the first heating device is used to heat the biomass in step (i), the fluid (eg, containing water) removed in step (iii) may be a component of the first heating device.

When step (i) is performed in a container (A) connected to a heat exchanger, the fluid (e.g., containing water) removed in step (iii) is preferably introduced into the heat exchanger to transfer heat to all Mentioned biomass. Downstream of the heat exchanger, the fluid (eg, containing water) removed in step (iii) can be disposed of as waste.

After the separation in step (iii), the biomass (eg, dehydrated biomass) may include less than 82% by weight, such as less than 80% by weight of water; and suitably includes at least 18% by weight, preferably at least 20% by weight of mold Protein (based on dry matter).

After step (iii), the biomass (eg, dehydrated biomass) may include less than 2 wt% RNA on a dry matter basis.

The filamentous fungi preferably comprise fungal mycelium, and suitably at least 80 wt%, preferably at least 90 wt%, more preferably at least 95 wt% and especially at least 99 wt% of the fungal particles in the formulation comprise fungal mycelium . Some filamentous fungi may include both fungal mycelia and fruiting bodies. The fungal particles preferably comprise a type of filamentous fungus that does not produce fruiting bodies.

The filamentous fungus preferably comprises a fungus selected from fungi imperfecti.

Preferably, the filamentous fungus comprises cells of a Fusarium species, and preferably consists essentially of cells of a Fusarium species, in particular Fusarium aureus A3 / 5 (previously classified as Fusarium graminearum Bacteria) (IMI 145425; ATCC PTA-2684 deposited at the American Type Culture Collection, 10801 University Boulevard, Manassas, VA.).

The filamentous fungi in the biomass heated in step (i) may include filaments having a length of less than 1000 μm, preferably less than 800 μm. The filaments may have a length of more than 100 μm, preferably more than 200 μm. Preferably, less than 5 wt% of the filaments in the biomass have a length greater than 5000 μm, preferably substantially no filaments have a length of greater than 5000 μm; and preferably less than 5 wt% of the filaments It has a length of more than 2500 μm, preferably substantially no filaments and has a length of more than 2500 μm. Preferably, the number average length value of the filamentous fungi in the formulation is also as described above.

The filamentous fungi in the biomass heated in step (i) may include filaments having a diameter of less than 20 μm, preferably less than 10 μm, more preferably 5 μm or less. The filaments may have a diameter greater than 1 μm, preferably greater than 2 μm. Preferably, the number average of the diameters of the fungal particles in the formulation is also as described above.

The filamentous fungi in the biomass heated in step (i) may comprise filaments having an aspect ratio (length / diameter) of less than 1000, preferably less than 750, more preferably less than 500, especially 250 or smaller. The aspect ratio may be greater than 10, preferably greater than 40, and more preferably greater than 70. Preferably, the value of the average aspect ratio of the filamentous fungi (ie, the average particle length of the filamentous fungi in the formulation divided by the average diameter is also as described above.

The filamentous fungus may grow in the fermentation tank. It can be grown in continuous or batch aerobic fermentation. Fermentation can use water and glucose and other nutrients.

In step (i) of the method, the heating of the biomass is suitably performed with the filamentous fungus in the presence of a growth medium of the filamentous fungus. Just before the heating, the filamentous fungi are preferably in a viable state.

During step (i) in the method, the pH of the preferred biomass is not adjusted by adding any pH adjusting substance (for example, an acidic or basic substance). Preferably, during step (ii) in the method, the pH of the biomass is not adjusted by adding any pH adjusting substance (for example, an acidic or alkaline substance). Preferably, during step (iii) in the method, the pH of the biomass is not adjusted by adding any pH adjusting substance (for example, an acidic or alkaline substance). Preferably, from step (i) heating the biomass to step (iii) separating the biomass, the pH of the biomass is not adjusted by adding any pH adjusting substance (for example, an acidic or alkaline substance). To avoid any confusion, steam / water itself is not considered a pH adjusting substance.

The method is preferably performed using equipment comprising: (a) the fermentation tank (b) the first heating device for heating the biomass in step (i); (c) the Container (A), such as a preheated container, between said fermentation tank and said container (A) is said conduit (A) for transferring fluid from said fermentation tank to container (A); (d) The catheter (B) is in communication with the outlet of the container (A); (e) the RNA removal container downstream of the catheter (B); (f) is used for centrifugation in step (iii) A centrifuge of biomass, said centrifuge being downstream of said RNA removal container; (g) a centrate (eg, by centrifugation) for circulating from said biomass to be recycled to said first A conduit of a heating device (e.g., a heat exchanger) to heat the biomass in step (i).

As described below, the separated and / or separated biomass in the first aspect of the method is different from the biomass produced in the comparative method. In this regard, the size of the filamentous fungi in the biomass is larger than that produced in the comparative method. Furthermore, compared to the yields produced in the comparative methods, it has been found to be advantageous to obtain improved yields of biomass using said methods. Therefore, the present invention extends from the second aspect to the product obtained from the method of the first aspect. In a second aspect, the biomass produced in the method of the first aspect is suitably provided. The biomass suitably has any characteristic of the biomass in the first aspect. The biomass may include filamentous fungi whose average length of filaments exceeds those produced by methods different from the first aspect and / or the comparison methods described herein.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a biomass per se, said biomass comprising filamentous fungi, wherein said biomass is isolated from a mixture comprising said biomass and a liquid, wherein said liquid comprises filamentous Fungal particles, wherein the particles in the liquid have one or more of the following characteristics (as measured by laser diffraction described herein):-a median size of less than 1.3 μm, such as less than 1.1 μm;-less than 1.4 μm The average size of, for example, less than 1.2 μm;-the mode size of less than 1.4 μm, for example, less than 1.2 μm;-D (v, 0.1) of less than 0.85 μm;-D (v, 0.5) of less than 1.20 μm ;-D (v, 0.9) less than 1.5 μm, for example less than 1.2 μm.

The particles in the liquid may preferably include each of at least two of the features, preferably at least four of the features, and more preferably the features.

The median size may be at least 0.5 μm. The average size may be at least 0.5 μm. The modal size may be at least 0.5 μm. The D (v, 0.1) size may be at least 0.4 μm. The D (v, 0.5) size may be at least 0.4 μm. The D (v, 0.9) size may be at least 0.5 μm.

Suitably, the median, average and / or modal particle size of the filaments of the filamentous fungus in the biomass is greater than the median, average and / or modal particle size in the liquid.

Suitably, the total RNA weight in the liquid (within the filamentous fungus or otherwise contained in the liquid) is greater than the total RNA weight in the biomass.

The total weight of the filamentous fungi in the biomass divided by the total weight of the filamentous fungi in the liquid is suitably greater than 2.3.

The biomass may include at least 20 wt% water, which may include 30 wt% or less water.

Preferably, the biomass comprises at least 5 kg, such as at least 50 kg of filamentous fungi.

The biomass, the mixture, and the liquid may independently have any of the characteristics described in any of the foregoing aspects.

According to a fourth aspect, there is provided a method for making food for human consumption, the method comprising: (i) selecting a biomass produced by the method of the first aspect or a biomass described in the second or third aspect ; (Ii) contacting the biomass with other ingredients that are characteristic of the food.

The food is suitably a meat substitute. It can be in the form of, for example, minced meat, burgers, sausages or meat-like pieces or sticks.

The other ingredients may include any meatless food ingredients. The ingredients may include one or more meatless fillings, flavors, oils, fats, proteins, or vegetables.

The method may include packaging the food product, for example, in a substantially air-tight and / or waterproof package.

In the method, at least 5 kg, such as at least 100 kg of the food product can be made.

The biomass produced by the method of the first aspect or the biomass described by the second or third aspect is considered to be novel, and the method of the fourth aspect is also considered to be novel. The invention extends from the fifth aspect to the food obtained by the method of the fourth aspect.

In a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a food comprising the biomass described in the second or third aspect and other ingredients (appropriately as described in the fourth aspect). The food may include at least 1 wt% of other ingredients, such as at least 5 wt%. The food may include at least 10% by weight of water.

Any feature of any aspect of any invention described herein may be combined with any feature of any other invention described herein with appropriate modifications.

Specific examples of the present invention will now be described by way of illustration only and with reference to the following drawings, in which:

100‧‧‧ Method

110‧‧‧ fermentation tank

111‧‧‧ Catheter

112‧‧‧injection port

120‧‧‧ container

121‧‧‧ Catheter

122‧‧‧ Injection port

130‧‧‧ centrifuge

131‧‧‧ Catheter

132‧‧‧ Catheter

140‧‧‧ mold protein paste

150‧‧‧ cooler

151‧‧‧catheter

160‧‧‧Outflow liquid processing equipment

200‧‧‧ Method

210‧‧‧ Fermentation tank

211‧‧‧catheter

220‧‧‧container

221‧‧‧ Catheter

222‧‧‧injection port

230‧‧‧ container

231‧‧‧catheter

232‧‧‧injection port

240‧‧‧ centrifuge

241‧‧‧ Catheter

242‧‧‧ Catheter

243‧‧‧ Catheter

250‧‧‧ mold protein paste

260‧‧‧Cooler

261‧‧‧ Catheter

270‧‧‧Outflow liquid processing equipment

FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing a method currently used to produce mold protein paste with reduced RNA content by direct steam injection; FIG. 2 is a diagram showing steps involved in using an alternative method to produce mold protein paste with reduced RNA content Figure 3 is a graph comparing mold protein yields obtained using the method of Figures 1 and 2 over a period of several days; Figure 4 is a particle size analysis chart of the discarded centrifuge filtrate produced by the method of Figure 1; and 5 is a particle size analysis chart of the discarded centrifuge filtrate produced by the method of FIG. 2.

This article mentions the following materials.

Fungal protein paste-refers to a viscoelastic substance containing an edible filamentous fungal mass (IMI 145425; deposited in Fusarium graminearum Schwabe) obtained from Fusarium aureus A3 / 5 ATCC PTA-2684, 12301 Parklawn Drive, Rockville Md. 20852), American Type Culture Collection. It typically contains about 23-25 wt% solids (the remainder is water) and is composed of inactive, RNA-reducing fungal hyphae with the following characteristics: about 400-750 μm in length, about 3-5 μm in diameter, and branching frequency Each mycelium has 2-3 tips.

Unless specifically mentioned herein, particle size analysis is performed with laser diffraction, for example using a Horiba LA950WET particle size analyzer.

Referring to FIG. 1, a method 100 (full details of which are not disclosed) currently used commercially to produce a mold protein paste involves growing a fungal culture in a pressure cycling fermentation tank 110 in the presence of a growth medium at 27 ° C. The culture solution is passed from the fermentation tank 110 to the RNA reduction container 120 through the conduit 111. Steam (7 barg and 160 ° C.) was injected into the culture solution through the steam injection port 112 in the conduit 111. Steam injection increased the temperature of the culture solution to 60-70 ° C. Steam injection was performed to reduce the RNA content of the final mold protein paste 140.

The RNA reduction container 120 is a continuously stirred tank reactor. The culture solution is kept in the RNA reduction container 120 at the RNA reduction temperature for at least 30 minutes. Next, the culture solution is passed from the RNA reduction container 120 through the catheter 121 to the centrifuge 130. Steam is injected into the culture solution through a steam injection port 122 in the duct 121. This steam injection raises the temperature of the culture solution to 80-90 ° C for sanitary purposes. The centrifuge 130 is operated at 5000 g for a period of time. The centrifuge 130 separates the mold protein paste 140 and the waste liquid centrifugal filtrate. The mold protein paste leaves the centrifuge 130 via a conduit 131. The discarded liquid centrifugal filtrate contains RNA and RNA degradation products flowing from fungal cells into the surrounding aqueous medium. The spent liquid centrifugal filtrate has a temperature of 80-90 ° C at this stage, passes through the conduit 132 to the cooler 150, and is cooled to 30 ° C. It then goes to an effluent treatment plant (ETP) 160 via a conduit 151 for disposal purposes. The final mold protein paste 140 has a nucleic acid content of less than 2% on a dry weight basis.

An alternative method of reducing RNA content is shown in FIG. 2. Referring to this figure, a fungal culture is grown in a pressure cycle fermentation tank 210 in the presence of a growth medium at 27 ° C. The culture fluid passes from the fermentation tank 210 through the conduit 211 to the preheating container 220. The culture is pre-warmed to 55-60 ° C (and maintained at this temperature for approximately 3 to 8 minutes) by a waste liquid centrifuge filtrate (as described below) generated further downstream in method 200. The waste liquid centrifuge filtrate passes through a heat exchanger (not shown) connected to the container 220; the waste liquid centrifuge filtrate is not in direct contact with the culture. The pre-warmed culture fluid is then passed along the catheter 221 to the RNA reduction container 230. During this passage, steam (7 barg and 160 ° C.) was injected into the culture solution through the steam injection port 222 in the conduit 221. Steam injection raised the temperature of the culture solution to 64-66 ° C. The culture solution is kept in the container 230 at this temperature for at least 30 minutes. The culture medium is then passed from the RNA reduction container 230 through the catheter 231 to the centrifuge 240. During this passage, steam (7 barg and 160 ° C.) was injected into the culture solution through the steam injection port 232 in the conduit 231. This steam injection raises the temperature of the culture solution to 80-90 ° C for sanitary purposes.

The centrifuge 240 was operated at about 5000 g and was set to separate the mold protein paste 250 and the waste liquid centrifuge filtrate. Downstream of the centrifuge 240, the mold protein paste 250 passes through the conduit 241 and is separated. The discarded liquid centrifugal filtrate has a temperature of 80-90 ° C and passes through the conduit 242 to a heat exchanger connected to the preheating container 220. Therefore, the centrifuged filtrate is used to heat the culture liquid in the preheating container 220.

After the pre-heated container is heated via the heat exchanger, the discarded liquid centrifugal filtrate has a temperature of 40-50 ° C. at this stage and passes through the conduit 243 to the cooler 260. The centrifuged filtrate containing the waste RNA and the waste RNA degradation products is cooled to 30 ° C., and then passed to the effluent treatment equipment (ETP) 270 via the conduit 261 for disposal.

The following examples illustrate the differences in products produced according to the methods described above with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

Example 1-Yield Evaluation

The yields of mold protein pastes 140 and 250 achieved using the methods of FIGS. 1 and 2 were evaluated, respectively. To this end, the respective pastes 140 and 250 are dried by heating to evaporate water after separation. The% solid mold protein recovered was calculated by comparing the weight of the mold protein recovered at 140 and 250 and the weight present in the fermentation tanks 110 and 210, respectively. The results are graphically presented in Figure 3, where the% solids recovered are plotted on the y-axis and the time (in days) of sample collection is plotted on the x-axis. The yields obtained using the method described with reference to FIG. 1 as described in Example 1 (a) (comparative);

Figure 3 illustrates the increased yield achieved by using the method of Figure 2 (Example 1 (b)) compared to the method of Figure 1 (Example 1 (a)). The increase in yield is an increase of about 5%, which is very significant commercially. In addition, for both the methods of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the RNA content was found to be less than 1.7% RNA on a dry weight basis. Therefore, using the method of FIG. 2 was able to reduce the RNA content in the mold protein paste to an acceptable level and was found to produce a significant increase in yield.

Example 2-Evaluation of Centrifuged Filtrate Generated Using the Method of Figures 1 and 2

The centrifugal filtrate produced by the centrifugation in FIGS. 1 and 2 is separated downstream of the centrifuges 130 and 240, and the particle size analysis of the mold protein fragments in the centrifugal filtrate is performed.

Figures 4 and 5 provide the results of particle size analysis of the centrifuge filtrate generated by the method described in Figure 1 (Example 1 (a)) and the method described in Figure 2 (Example 2 (b)), respectively. . In addition, the table below provides details of the results of the centrifugal filtrates of the specific examples of FIGS. 1 and 2.

From the data in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, compared with the centrifugal filtrate generated by the method described in FIG. 2, the centrifugal filtrate generated by the method described in FIG. 1 has a larger amount and a larger number. Broken mycelium fragments. This fact can be used to explain the different yields achieved using the method in FIGS. 1 and 2. In this regard, compared with the method of FIG. 2, the method described in FIG. 1 causes greater damage to the mold protein filaments (for example, a larger amount of mold protein filaments break). Therefore, compared with the method of FIG. 2, the method of FIG. 1 is used to break more large filaments, and such large filaments can be observed in the centrifuge filtrate-so the centrifuge filtrate of FIG. 4 The fragment particle size in is larger than the centrifuge filtrate of FIG. 5.

Similarly, it is inferred that compared with the filaments in the fungal protein produced by the method described with reference to FIG. 1, the degree of damage to the filaments in the fungal protein produced by the method described with reference to FIG. low. Therefore, it can be concluded that different mold protein pastes are produced using the method described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 (at least in terms of the individual size distribution of the filaments). In addition, as already described, the use of the method of FIG. 2 advantageously produces higher yields.

Compared to the method of FIG. 1, in addition to the advantages in terms of productivity and filament size using the method of FIG. 2, the method of FIG. 2 is used to preheat the preheated container by using the centrifuged filtrate of the waste liquid in the conduit 242. Medium in 220 to produce significant energy savings. More specifically, the method of FIG. 2 uses about 65% less steam than the method of FIG. 1.

This invention is not limited to the details of the foregoing specific examples. This invention extends to any novel invention or any novel combination of features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying patent application scope, abstract and drawings), or any novel invention or any novel combination of steps of any method disclosed .

200‧‧‧ Method

210‧‧‧ Fermentation tank

211‧‧‧catheter

220‧‧‧container

221‧‧‧ Catheter

222‧‧‧injection port

230‧‧‧ container

231‧‧‧catheter

232‧‧‧injection port

240‧‧‧ centrifuge

241‧‧‧ Catheter

242‧‧‧ Catheter

243‧‧‧ Catheter

250‧‧‧ mold protein paste

260‧‧‧Cooler

261‧‧‧ Catheter

270‧‧‧Outflow liquid processing equipment

Claims (22)

    A method for reducing the RNA content in a filamentous fungus-containing biomass, said method comprising the steps of: (i) heating said biomass to a first temperature downstream of a fermentation tank producing a filamentous fungus; (ii) next Heating the biomass to a second temperature higher than the first temperature to facilitate the release of RNA from the filamentous fungal cells; (iii) separating the filamentous fungus-containing biomass from other components, such as from steps (ii) Isolation of other components in the resulting mixture, which suitably comprises the filamentous fungi with reduced RNA content compared to the content in the biomass heated in step (i).         The method of claim 1, wherein, in step (i), the biomass is heated to increase its temperature by at least 22 ° C and preferably less than 40 ° C.         The method of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein, in step (i), after contacting with the first heating device for heating the biomass in step (i), the biomass takes at least two minutes and is relatively long. It is preferably less than 12 minutes to reach the first temperature.         A method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said first temperature is at least 40 ° C and preferably below 68 ° C.         A method as in any preceding claim, wherein the heating in step (i) involves contacting the biomass with a heat source having a maximum temperature of less than 100 ° C and preferably at least 76 ° C.         A method as in any preceding claim, wherein step (i) comprises heating said biomass using a solid object in contact with said biomass.         A method as in any preceding claim, wherein step (i) is performed in a container (A) and a heat exchanger is connected to the container (A) to transfer heat to the biomass.         A method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein in step (i) the biomass is heated at least partly by a substance produced in the method, for example, downstream of step (i).         The method according to claim 8, wherein the substance produced in the method is introduced into a heat exchanger connected to the container (A).         A method as in any preceding claim, wherein in step (ii) of the method, the biomass is heated to increase its temperature by at least 2 ° C and preferably less than 20 ° C.         The method of any preceding claim, wherein the second temperature is at least 60 ° C and preferably less than 68 ° C.         A method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the heating of the biomass in step (ii) involves contacting the heated fluid with the biomass.         A method as in any preceding claim, wherein step (iii) comprises separating the dehydrated biomass.         A method as in any preceding claim, wherein the fluid is removed in step (iii) and the fluid is used to heat the biomass to the first temperature in step (i).         A method as in any preceding claim, wherein heating the biomass in step (i) utilizes a heat exchanger and the fluid removed in step (iii) is a component of the heat exchanger.         The method of any preceding claim, wherein after step (iii), the biomass contains less than 2 wt% of RNA on a dry matter basis.         The method of any preceding claim, wherein the filamentous fungus comprises a cell of a Fusarium species.         A biomass obtained by a method according to any one of the preceding claims.         A biomass itself, said biomass comprising a filamentous fungus, wherein said biomass is separated from a mixture comprising said biomass and a liquid, wherein said liquid comprises particles of a filamentous fungus, wherein said particles in said liquid Has one or more of the following characteristics (as measured by laser diffraction as described herein):-median size less than 1.3 μm, such as less than 1.1 μm;-average size less than 1.4 μm, such as less than 1.2 μm;-less than Mode size of 1.4 μm, for example less than 1.2 μm;-D (v, 0.1) less than 0.85 μm;-D (v, 0.5) less than 1.20 μm;-D (v, 0.9) less than 1.5 μm ), For example, less than 1.2 μm.         The biomass of claim 19, wherein the median size may be at least 0.5 μm and / or the average size may be at least 0.5 μm and / or the modal size may be at least 0.5 μm and / or the The D (v, 0.1) size may be at least 0.4 μm and / or the D (v, 0.5) size may be at least 0.4 μm and / or the D (v, 0.9) size may be at least 0.5 μm.         A method of making food for human consumption, the method comprising: (i) selecting a health food made according to the method of any one of claims 1 to 17 or a food product according to any of claims 18 to 20 Substances; and (ii) contacting the biomass with other ingredients that are characteristic of the food.         A food containing biomass and other ingredients according to any one of claims 18 to 20.