Quorn
Encyclopedia
Mycoprotein
Mycoprotein is defined in the Oxford English Dictionary as: "the albuminoid which is the principal constituent of the protoplasm of the cell." "Myco" is from the Greek word for "fungus"....
food product in the UK and Ireland. The mycoprotein
Mycoprotein
Mycoprotein is defined in the Oxford English Dictionary as: "the albuminoid which is the principal constituent of the protoplasm of the cell." "Myco" is from the Greek word for "fungus"....
used to produce Quorn is extracted from a fungus
Fungus
A fungus is a member of a large group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds , as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, Fungi, which is separate from plants, animals, and bacteria...
, Fusarium venenatum
Fusarium venenatum
Fusarium venenatum is a microfungus of the genus Fusarium that has a high protein content. One of its strains is used commercially for the production of the single cell protein mycoprotein....
, which is grown in large vats.
Quorn is produced as both a cooking ingredient and a range of ready meals. It is sold (largely in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, but also in other parts of the world) as a health food
Health food
The term health food is generally used to describe foods that are considered to be beneficial to health, beyond a normal healthy diet required for human nutrition. However, the term is not precisely defined by national regulatory agencies such as the U.S...
and an alternative to meat
Meat analogue
A meat analogue, also called a meat substitute, mock meat, faux meat, or imitation meat, approximates the aesthetic qualities and/or chemical characteristics of specific types of meat...
, earning the Vegetarian Society
Vegetarian Society
The Vegetarian Society is a British registered charity established on 30 September 1847 to "support, represent and increase the number of vegetarians in the UK."-History:...
's seal of approval. As it uses egg white
Egg white
Egg white is the common name for the clear liquid contained within an egg. In chickens it is formed from the layers of secretions of the anterior section of the hen's oviduct during the passage of the egg. It forms around either fertilized or unfertilized egg yolks...
as a binder
Binder (material)
-See also:*Adhesive or Glue*Cement*Paint...
, it is not a vegan food.
When Quorn was introduced into the United States in 2002, the Center for Science in the Public Interest
Center for Science in the Public Interest
Center for Science in the Public Interest is a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit watchdog and consumer advocacy group focusing on nutritional education and awareness.-History and funding:...
expressed multiple concerns over the product.
History
Microbial biomass is produced commercially as single cell proteinSingle cell protein
Single-cell protein typically refers to sources of mixed protein extracted from pure or mixed cultures of algae, yeasts, fungi or bacteria used as a substitute for protein-rich foods, in human and animal feeds....
(SCP) for human food or animal feed and as viable yeast cells to be used in the baking industry. The industrial production of bakers’ yeast started in the early 1900s and yeast biomass was used as human food in Germany during the First World War. However, the development of large-scale processes for the production of microbial biomass as a source of commercial protein began in earnest in the late 1960s. Several of the processes investigated did not come to fruition owing to political and economic problems but the establishment of the ICI Pruteen process for the production of bacterial SCP for animal feed was a milestone in the development of the fermentation industry. This process utilized continuous culture on an enormous scale (1500 m3) and is an excellent example of the application of good engineering to the design of a microbiological process. However, the economics of the production of SCP as animal feed were marginal, which eventually led to the discontinuation of the Pruteen process. The technical expertise gained from the Pruteen process assisted ICI in collaborating with Rank Hovis MacDougall on a process for the production of fungal biomass to be used as human food. A continuous fermentation process for the production of Fusarium venenatum biomass (marketed as Quorn@) was developed utilizing a 40 m3 air-lift fermenter. This process was based on sound economics and has proved to be a major economic success.
During the 1960s, it was predicted that by the 1980s there would be a shortage of protein-rich foods. In response to this, research programmes were undertaken to use single-cell biomass as an animal feed. Contrary to the trend, J. Arthur Rank
J. Arthur Rank
Joseph Arthur Rank, 1st Baron Rank was a British industrialist and film producer, and founder of the Rank Organisation, now known as The Rank Group Plc.- Family business :...
instructed the Rank Hovis McDougall (RHM) Research Centre to investigate converting starch
Starch
Starch or amylum is a carbohydrate consisting of a large number of glucose units joined together by glycosidic bonds. This polysaccharide is produced by all green plants as an energy store...
(the waste product of cereal manufacturing undertaken by RHM) into a protein-rich food for human consumption.
The filamentous fungus, or more precisely the mould, Fusarium venenatum
Fusarium venenatum
Fusarium venenatum is a microfungus of the genus Fusarium that has a high protein content. One of its strains is used commercially for the production of the single cell protein mycoprotein....
, was discovered in 1967. After an extensive screening process, it was isolated as the best candidate. In 1985, RHM was given permission to sell mycoprotein for human consumption after a ten-year evaluation program.
Retail history
Although the mycoprotein was conceived as a protein-rich food supplement for the predicted global famine, the food shortage has never occurred . In 1989, a survey revealed almost half of the UK population were reducing their intake of red meats, and a fifth of young people were vegetarians. As a result, Marlow Foods decided to market Quorn as a healthy meat alternative, free from animal fats and cholesterol.Quorn as a retail product was first produced in 1985 by Marlow Foods – named after RHM's headquarters in Marlow, Buckinghamshire
Marlow, Buckinghamshire
Marlow is a town and civil parish within Wycombe district in south Buckinghamshire, England...
– a joint venture between RHM and Imperial Chemical Industries
Imperial Chemical Industries
Imperial Chemical Industries was a British chemical company, taken over by AkzoNobel, a Dutch conglomerate, one of the largest chemical producers in the world. In its heyday, ICI was the largest manufacturing company in the British Empire, and commonly regarded as a "bellwether of the British...
(ICI), who provided a fermenter left vacant from their abandoned single-cell feed programme. The product was named after the Leicestershire village of Quorn
Quorn, Leicestershire
Quorn is a village in Leicestershire, England, situated next to the university town of Loughborough. Quorn's name was shortened from Quorndon in 1889, to avoid postal difficulties owing to its similarity to the name of another village, Quarndon, a few miles away. Its original name is said to derive...
, reputedly for purely marketing purposes. The two partners invested patents for growing and processing the fungus and other intellectual properties in the brand. Although the food sold well in the initial test market of the RHM staff canteen, the large supermarket chains were unconvinced until Lord Sainsbury
David Sainsbury, Baron Sainsbury of Turville
David John Sainsbury, Baron Sainsbury of Turville, FRS , is a British businessman and politician. From 1992 to 1997, he served as the Chairman of Sainsbury's . He was made a life peer in 1997, and currently sits in the House of Lords as a member of the Labour Party...
, finance director of the UK's Sainsbury's supermarket chain – then 18%-owned by his family – agreed to stock the new brand.
Quorn entered distribution in the UK in 1994, and was introduced to other parts of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
in the 1990s, and to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 2002. The initial advertising campaign for Quorn featured sports personalities, including footballer Ryan Giggs
Ryan Giggs
Ryan Joseph Giggs OBE is a Welsh professional footballer who plays for Manchester United. Giggs made his first appearance for the club during the 1990–91 season and has been a regular player since the 1991–92 season...
, rugby
Rugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
player Will Carling
Will Carling
William David Charles Carling, OBE is a former Rugby union player for Harlequins, and a former captain of England from 1988 to 1996, winning 72 caps.-Early life:...
, and runner Sally Gunnell
Sally Gunnell
Sally Jane Janet Gunnell OBE is a former British Olympic champion in the 400 m hurdles...
.
Quorn brand mycoprotein is sold in ready-to-cook forms, such as cubes and a form resembling minced meat; and later introduced a range of chilled vegetarian meals, including pizzas, lasagna, cottage pie, and products resembling sliced meat, hot dogs, and burgers. , it is available in stores in the UK, Spain, the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, the US, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
and Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
. Since June 2010, it has been available in Australia. By 2005 Quorn enjoyed around 60% of the meat-replacement food market in the UK, with annual sales of around £95 million. Until December 2003, Quorn had been available in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
In 2004, McDonald's
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...
introduced a Quorn-branded burger bearing the seal of approval of the Vegetarian Society, an endorsement criticised by the Vegan Society
Vegan Society
The Vegan Society is a registered charity and the oldest vegan society in the world, founded on November 1, 1944, in England by Donald Watson, Elsie "Sally" Shrigley, and 23 others....
. In 2011 Quorn Foods launched a 'vegan burger' into the USA market - the binder being potato protein, replacing egg albumen, to confer vegan status.
Ownership history
When ICI spun off its biological products divisions from the core chemical business in 1993, Marlow Foods became part of the Astra Zeneca group, one of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies. In 2003, Astra Zeneca sold Marlow, the Quorn business, and associated trademarks and patents, to a private equity firm for £70 million. Two years later, food giant Premier FoodsPremier Foods
Premier Foods plc is a British food manufacturer headquartered in St Albans, Hertfordshire. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.-History:...
bought Marlow for £172 million.
In 2011 Premier Foods sold Quorn to Exponent Private Equity and Intermediate Capital Group
Intermediate Capital Group
Intermediate Capital Group is a British-based provider of mezzanine finance. It is headquartered in London and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.-History:...
for .
Production
Fusarium venenatum
Fusarium venenatum is a microfungus of the genus Fusarium that has a high protein content. One of its strains is used commercially for the production of the single cell protein mycoprotein....
strain PTA-2684 (previously misidentified as the parasitic mould Fusarium graminearum ). The fungus is grown in continually oxygenated water in large, otherwise sterile fermentation tanks. Glucose is added as a food for the fungus, as are vitamins and minerals to improve the food value of the product. The resulting mycoprotein is then extracted and heat-treated to remove excess levels of RNA
RNA
Ribonucleic acid , or RNA, is one of the three major macromolecules that are essential for all known forms of life....
. Previous attempts to produce such fermented protein foodstuffs were thwarted by excessive levels of DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
or RNA; without the heat treatment, purine
Purine
A purine is a heterocyclic aromatic organic compound, consisting of a pyrimidine ring fused to an imidazole ring. Purines, including substituted purines and their tautomers, are the most widely distributed kind of nitrogen-containing heterocycle in nature....
, found in nucleic acids, is metabolised by humans, producing uric acid
Uric acid
Uric acid is a heterocyclic compound of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and hydrogen with the formula C5H4N4O3. It forms ions and salts known as urates and acid urates such as ammonium acid urate. Uric acid is created when the body breaks down purine nucleotides. High blood concentrations of uric acid...
, which can lead to gout
Gout
Gout is a medical condition usually characterized by recurrent attacks of acute inflammatory arthritis—a red, tender, hot, swollen joint. The metatarsal-phalangeal joint at the base of the big toe is the most commonly affected . However, it may also present as tophi, kidney stones, or urate...
. However two recent studies have found dietary factors once believed to be associated to gout are in fact not, including the intake of purine
Purine
A purine is a heterocyclic aromatic organic compound, consisting of a pyrimidine ring fused to an imidazole ring. Purines, including substituted purines and their tautomers, are the most widely distributed kind of nitrogen-containing heterocycle in nature....
-rich vegetables and total protein. The Mayo Clinic, meanwhile, advises gout sufferers to avoid some foods that are high in purines.
The product is dried and mixed with egg albumen, which acts as a binder. It is then textured, giving it some of the grained character of meat, and pressed either into a mince resembling ground beef; forms resembling chicken breasts, meatballs, and turkey roasts; or chunks resembling diced chicken breast. In these forms, Quorn has a varying colour and a mild flavour resembling the imitated meat product, and is suitable for use as a replacement for meat in many dishes, such as stews and casseroles. The final Quorn product is high in protein and dietary fibre and is low in saturated fat and salt. It contains less dietary iron than do most meats.
Quorn for the European market is produced at Marlow's headquarters in Stokesley
Stokesley
Stokesley is a small market town and civil parish in the Hambleton district of North Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Leven. Stokesley is located about two miles south of the boundary of the borough of Middlesbrough and ten miles south of Middlesbrough town centre. Stokesley is located...
, North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...
and at nearby Billingham
Billingham
Billingham is a town in the unitary authority of Stockton on Tees, in north east England, with a population of 35,765 . It was founded circa 650 by a group of Saxons known as Billa's people, which is where the name Billingham is thought to have originated...
in Stockton-on-Tees
Stockton-on-Tees (borough)
Stockton-on-Tees is a unitary authority area and borough in the Tees Valley area of north east England, with a population in 2001 of 178,408, rising to 185,880 in 2005 estimates....
.
Controversy
Quorn's 2002 debut in the United States was more problematic than its European introduction had been. The sale of Quorn was contested by The American Mushroom InstituteThe American Mushroom Institute
The American Mushroom Institute is the industry trade group for the U.S. mushroom industry.In 2007 the Institute commissioned Chester County, Pa., author Bruce Mowday to compile a photographic history of the local industry. Chester County Mushroom Farming was published in 2008....
, rival competitor Gardenburger
Gardenburger
Gardenburger is the brand name of a veggie burger. The company was originally incorporated as Wholesome & Hearty Foods, Inc. in March 1985. Initial funding was given to founders Paul Wenner and Allyn Smaaland, as part of a venture capital investment program of Louisiana-Pacific Corp., whereby L-P...
, and the Center for Science in the Public Interest
Center for Science in the Public Interest
Center for Science in the Public Interest is a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit watchdog and consumer advocacy group focusing on nutritional education and awareness.-History and funding:...
(CSPI). They filed complaints with advertising and trading-standards watchdogs in Europe and the US, claiming the labelling of Quorn as "mushroom based" was deceptive. The CSPI observed that while a mushroom is a fungus, Fusarium is not a mushroom, and stated, "Quorn's fungus is as closely related to mushrooms as humans are to jellyfish."
CSPI also claimed that Quorn could cause allergic reactions and should be removed from stores. But others counter that milk, peanuts, soy, eggs and many other foods are common allergens, sometimes fatally so, and removing Quorn from stores would set an unreasonable precedent. Calling the product "fungus food", CSPI claimed in 2003 that it "sickens 4.5% of eaters". The manufacturer disputes the figure, claiming that only 0.0007% (1 in 146,000) suffer adverse reactions. The CSPI's claims were also described by Leslie Bonci, professor of nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
, as "overblown", and the organization has been accused of using the most extreme and overblown quotations concerning Quorn for shock value. Steven Milloy
Steven Milloy
Steven J. Milloy is a commentator for Fox News and runs the Web site junkscience.com, which is dedicated to "debunking" what Milloy labels "faulty scientific data and analysis." On Fox News Channel he is billed as a "Junk Science commentator." He describes himself as a libertarian.Among the topics...
, writing for the American Fox News
Fox News Channel
Fox News Channel , often called Fox News, is a cable and satellite television news channel owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of News Corporation...
channel, said "CSPI appears to have an unsavory relationship with Quorn competitor, Gardenburger" and called the CSPI's complaints "unscrupulous shrieking". Gardenburger in turn denied this, saying Milloy's "unsavory relationship" claim was "untrue and groundless".
The UK's Advertising Standards Authority
Advertising Standards Authority (United Kingdom)
The Advertising Standards Authority is the self-regulatory organisation of the advertising industry in the United Kingdom. The ASA is a non-statutory organisation and so cannot interpret or enforce legislation. However, its code of advertising practice broadly reflects legislation in many instances...
also had concerns over Marlow's practice of marketing Quorn as "mushroom in origin", saying it had been "misleading consumers". The ASA noted "despite the advertiser’s explanation that they used the term because customers were unfamiliar with the main ingredient, mycoprotein, the ASA considered that the claim implied that Quorn was made from mushroom. Marlow Foods were asked either to delete the claim or give in the same font size, a statement of the mycoprotein origin of the product, or the fungal origin of the product."
Quorn's acceptance in the vegetarian market was hampered by the use of battery eggs
Battery cage
In poultry farming, battery cages are an industrial agricultural confinement system used primarily for egg-laying hens...
in its production process, a practice opposed on ethical grounds by many. For this reason, the Vegetarian Society initially did not approve these products. Working with the Vegetarian Society, Marlow began phasing out battery eggs in 2000, and by 2004 all Quorn products sold in the UK were produced without battery eggs, earning the Vegetarian Society's seal of approval.
Despite regulatory barriers that inhibit Quorn from full integration in Canadian markets, initiatives by biologists Evin Mykes and Pal Nasdack from the Broughdale Research Institute have served to spread the benefits and safety of mycoprotein products.
An asthma attack in 2003 was linked to Quorn, which the patient had eaten an hour earlier. Scientists' tests showed Quorn to be the only food to which the patient had an allergic reaction to. A spokesperson for the Food Standards Agency
Food Standards Agency
The Food Standards Agency is a non-ministerial government department of the Government of the United Kingdom. It is responsible for protecting public health in relation to food throughout the United Kingdom and is led by a board appointed to act in the public interest...
stated that an allergy was not surprising because of the high protein content.
Mycoprotein patent
In the European Union, all patents expire after 25 years. The retail product was produced in 1985, so the mycoprotein patent expired in 2010 in all EU countries. Now anyone can produce mycoprotein products, but using other brands, because Marlow Foods maintains the Quorn brand. Cangzhou East Feed Additive has launched mycoprotein foods for pigs.External links
- Official website
- Information on Mycoprotein - CSPI's page on its concerns about Quorn - WiredWired (magazine)Wired is a full-color monthly American magazine and on-line periodical, published since January 1993, that reports on how new and developing technology affects culture, the economy, and politics...
magazine report of Quorn's US debut