Mycoprotein is a mould that is produced from the fungus Fusarium venenatum. It is high in protein and as a result is often touted as a replacement for animal protein. However, despite the high protein content mycoprotein has low levels of methionine, and as such is not a complete protein as it does not supply all the amino acids in the correct ratios for human health. Further, much of the research seems to be based on poorly designed studies that bear conclusions that do not match the data. For example, in one study researchers fed mycoprotein or milk protein to a group of healthy adults to assess skeletal muscle synthesis rates. The title of the paper claimed that the mycoprotein was able to stimulate the synthesis rates to a greater extent that milk protein. However, the authors compared 31 grams of milk protein to 70 grams of mycoprotein. Therefore the conclusion is ingenuous because the study failed to adequately control for the treatment and the results are therefore of questionable value.
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