We live in a changing world.
The climate is getting warmer, threatening the food we grow.
So we need a good, secure source of protein on a planet that,
let's face it
isn't getting any bigger
Hi, I'm Hank Green,
I'm a science communicator, professional internet guy,
and person generally concerned about the future of our planet.
Because here's the thing about food:
right now, we rely a lot on animal protein
but that just isn't the most efficient way
to get protein into our diets.
Yes, a big juicy cheeseburger tastes good
but raising that livestock requires huge amounts
of land and water
and transporting that food to us also releases greenhouse gases.
Now there are plenty of alternative proteins out there
but while they're more efficient than meat, they still require a lot of land and water
and they're difficult to make into things that look and feel like meat.
So, what we need is something that comes from nature so it's easy to grow
and can be made close enough to consumers that it doesn't have to be hauled all over.
But what we want is something that tastes good, is good for us, and can be made into all sorts of things.
And that’s not nearly as out of reach as it sounds. In fact, it’s already here.
It’s the nutritional fungi protein called Fy.
The secret to this protein isn’t some mad science experiment.
It’s a microbe with origins in the hot springs of Yellowstone National Park.
This is Fusarium strain flavolapis,
an organism adapted to live in hot springs that have an acidity comparable to vinegar.
It lives on plant matter that falls into the spring and it grows as a fibrous structure called mycelium
And it’s a member of the kingdom Fungi.
Scientists used to believe that fungi were a type of plant
But even though mushrooms are still stocked in the produce section,
we now know that fungi fall into their own kingdom
and are more closely related to animals
than to flowers and trees.
These organisms are incredibly diverse,
capable of a huge variety of lifestyles largely hidden from us.
Fungi are everywhere
drifting invisibly through the air and
hidden in the ground beneath your feet.
And they are the best builders you’ve never seen.
They're constantly constructing mycelium beneath the surface of the soil
some miles across and thousands of years old.
Mycelia don’t just help fungi thrive, though
They enrich the soil, and some form symbiotic relationships with plants to help them grow.
But Fusarium strain flavolapis is special
among mycelium-builders, even its close cousins.
It was found as part of a NASA-backed research project in Yellowstone National Park, where a group of scientists were studying extremophiles
forms of live adapted to harsh conditions
They were hoping to see what kinds of life could thrive
in the extreme, alien environments beyond Earth
using extreme environments here on Earth as examples.
But then, they discovered F. strain flavolapis which has origins in the hot springs of the park
And scientists being, you know, what scientists are,
sooner or later someone decided to lick it.
Not literally right there and then, but you know what I mean.
And that is how Nature’s Fynd was born
to harness the potential of F. strain flavolapis to transform food.
Because fungi can be food. In fact, we've been using and eating them for millenia.
You’re no doubt familiar with mushrooms—your portobellos, your shiitakes...
But that’s definitely not the only option.
Like, yeast is a type of fungi, and we use it to transform bread and beer
into their final, delicious forms.
Even the veins in blue cheese are thanks to fungi.
Fungi can add flavor, too: nutritional yeast adds a pop of umami to foods,
plus vegan protein.
But while many fungi are valuable for their ability to transform or enhance foods,
F. strain flavolapis is more of a main character.
It takes on a starring role.
It ferments its food and grows to become a
nutritional fungi protein that Nature's Fynd named Fy.
And while we’ve made food using fermentation for ages,
this superstar also needed some modern methodology to be its best self.
Nature’s Fynd scientists had to come up with a breakthrough fermentation method
to make this work—but somehow, it’s still surprisingly simple.
All it takes is the right environment and a source of food for the microbe.
In a straightforward, energy-efficient technique called Liquid-Air Interface Fermentation,
the microbe grows in trays with simple sugars, a little bit of nitrogen,
and the warm, acidic water it loves.
Because most other organisms are, ya know, reasonable
and refuse to tolerate these acidic conditions, contamination isn’t much of a concern
and that means no antibiotics or pesticides are needed to keep any invaders in check.
The Nature’s Fynd team also spent years learning how to grow the microbe without any hormones or genetic modifications.
And there was no need to go back to Yellowstone, either
Like a sourdough starter, the initial cultures were
enough to grow all the Fy we’ll ever need.
The fungi eat simple starches and sugars, made by plants.
And then they ferment these ingredients into an ample supply of protein.
That means Fy can be grown in lots of places like cities,
or remote areas,
or regions where the weather isn’t ideal for other crops.
Which is neat, because it means it can be grown where it’s going to be eaten.
That keeps its carbon footprint low on its way to your local grocery store or restaurant.
Since it grows into that dense, fibrous mycelium,
Fy naturally feels like meat.
But it’s also really versatile in terms of texture and taste
it can be turned into everything from a powder to a liquid
and from there, into just about anything you can imagine.
So, this microbe’s biology makes it super convenient for us to grow and harvest
but also, Fy is, like, good for you.
For one, it’s a source of complete protein.
Protein is one of the fundamental materials that make up our bodies.
And to create proteins, our cells piece together a set of
20 different building blocks called amino acids.
But our cells can only make eleven of those from scratch.
We have to get the other nine in our diets.
Most kinds of animal protein will give us the right balance of amino acids,
so that we get all nine we need. We call them sources of complete protein.
That’s why vegetarians and vegans who don't eat animal protein
need a varied source of plant proteins—you have to mix and match to get enough of the right amino acids.
But Fy is a vegan source of complete protein
in other words, it happens to come with a balanced ratio.
Also, on a bigger, like, food-chain-wide scale,
Fy is a source of net new protein.
See, new sources of protein don’t make it into the world as often as you might think.
Many alternatives, like peas or soy protein
just convert an existing protein from one form into another
like from a pea into a veggie burger.
That also explains why some of them have unusual textures.
Meanwhile, animals only concentrate protein.
Like us, they’re just taking amino acids from their food to build their own proteins
so those nutrients get passed from the feed, to the animal, to us.
And in fact, the more things travel up the food chain,
the less efficient it is to produce those foods.
But this microbe is introducing new protein into our world,
converting simple ingredients into the protein we need with no middleman.
It means less wasted space and energy.
It’s also super efficient to grow
almost 130 times more efficient than beef in terms of protein per acre
and it’s more efficient than many vegetarian proteins, too, including peas and soy.
So, the way we eat needs to change and adapt,
both to climate change and to Earth’s growing population.
And Fy is part of that.
A microbe with origins in Yellowstone is fermented
into a brand new source of protein.
One that’s nutritionally complete and green to produce,
with the versatility to be made into delicious foods you know and love.
And that’s just the sort of thing science can do.
It can help us discover things to make our lives better,
whether that’s vaccines
or new energy sources.
And sometimes, science is at its best when it can lead us to something that
already exists in nature
like the remarkable microbe behind Fy.