Growing a circular economy with fungal biotechnology: a white paper

Vera Meyer ,Kim Toft Hansen ,Arthur F J Ram ,Oded Yarden ,Rolando Perez ,Drew Endy ,Yitzhak Hadar ,Gerhard H Braus ,Jolanda M Van Munster ,Phil Ross ,Mark X Caddick ,Thomas Haarmann ,Michael Csukai ,Éric Record ,Rob Johnson ,Nancy P Keller ,Volha Shapaval ,Ronald P De Vries ,J Philipp Benz ,H Van Den Brink ,Nina Gunde‐Cimerman ,Nada Kraševec ,Evelina Y Basenko ,Jens Christian Frisvad ,Charlotte Steiniger ,Uffe Hasbro Mortensen ,Han A B Wösten

doi:10.1186/s40694-020-00095-z

Abstract

Fungi have the ability to transform organic materials into a rich and diverse set of useful products and provide distinct opportunities for tackling the urgent challenges before all humans. Fungal biotechnology can advance the transition from our petroleum-based economy into a bio-based circular economy and has the ability to sustainably produce resilient sources of food, feed, chemicals, fuels, textiles, and materials for construction, automotive and transportation industries, for furniture and beyond. Fungal biotechnology offers solutions for securing, stabilizing and enhancing the food supply for a growing human population, while simultaneously lowering greenhouse gas emissions. Fungal biotechnology has, thus, the potential to make a significant contribution to climate change mitigation and meeting the United Nation’s sustainable development goals through the rational improvement of new and established fungal cell factories. The White Paper presented here is the result of the 2nd Think Tank meeting held by the EUROFUNG consortium in Berlin in October 2019. This paper highlights discussions on current opportunities and research challenges in fungal biotechnology and aims to inform scientists, educators, the general public, industrial stakeholders and policymakers about the current fungal biotech revolution.

Highlights

The term ‘biotechnology’ was coined by the Hungarian Karl Ereky [1] in 1919, the same year that Pfizer became the first company to commercialise a product manufactured by the controlled fermentation of a mould
While this review focuses on the Dikarya lineage, that is the ascomycetes and basidiomycetes, five species in this list are found in another lineage, the Mucoromycota
Concluding remarks We would not be able to live the life we are living without the help of moulds and mushrooms from nature

Summary

Introduction

The term ‘biotechnology’ was coined by the Hungarian Karl Ereky [1] in 1919, the same year that Pfizer became the first company to commercialise a product manufactured by the controlled fermentation of a mould. Fungal species capable of the filamentous growth form, which are the focus of this White Paper, have additional beneficial properties such as the productions of a diverse array of metabolites, enzymes and materials.

Results

Conclusion