Cranfield and HyphaPro target egg protein production using fungi

Cranfield University researchers have partnered with biotechnology company HyphaPro to investigate whether engineered fungi can produce ovotransferrin, an egg-white protein used in dietary supplements and functional foods, without relying on chickens.

• Cranfield and HyphaPro are investigating fungal production of ovotransferrin.
• NAPIC is funding the proof-of-concept project.
• Researchers aim to establish a process for future scale-up.

The project will use precision fermentation to explore an alternative source of the protein, which has antimicrobial and iron-binding properties. Researchers aim to establish a proof-of-concept production process that could form the basis of subsequent scale-up and commercial development.

Ovotransferrin is naturally present in chicken egg whites, and its existing production depends on supplies of eggs. Cranfield identified bird flu outbreaks, rising costs and environmental pressures among the factors that can affect that supply, prompting interest in additional ways to manufacture the ingredient.

“As demand grows for sustainable ingredients, we need to explore new ways to produce valuable proteins without putting additional pressure on our traditional food systems,” said Dr Abhishek Baghela, Senior Lecturer at Cranfield University and the project’s lead researcher.

The work brings together Cranfield’s Magan Centre of Applied Mycology and HyphaPro, with funding from the National Alternative Protein Innovation Centre (NAPIC). Baghela is supported by Dr Carla Cervini, Lecturer at Cranfield University, working in collaboration with Dr Andrew J. Foster, Director of HyphaPro.

“Through this project we aim to demonstrate the potential of fungal precision fermentation to manufacture high-value functional ingredients. It's an exciting opportunity to bring together fungal biotechnology and food sciences to develop new approaches for the alternative protein sector,” Baghela said.

The researchers will work with filamentous fungi, a group already widely used in biotechnology to manufacture useful ingredients. Specially engineered fungal strains will be grown in controlled tanks and assessed for their ability to produce ovotransferrin.

The approach uses the microorganisms as production hosts for a specific protein. Although the starting organisms are naturally occurring fungi, the strains used in the project will be engineered to investigate whether they can manufacture the target ingredient through fermentation.

The immediate task is to demonstrate that this production route can work. Cranfield described the research as a proof-of-concept project, with a potential commercial process dependent on the outcome of that initial work.

The announcement did not disclose a production yield, manufacturing cost, project funding amount or timetable for commercial availability. It also did not identify the fungal species or strains that the partners will use.

For ingredient manufacturers, the attraction of ovotransferrin lies in its functional properties. Its ability to bind iron and its antimicrobial characteristics have supported its use in supplements and functional foods, giving the researchers a defined target for their production work.

The project therefore concerns the manufacture of an individual egg protein. Its stated objective is to establish another way of supplying ovotransferrin, with the longer-term possibility of applying the approach to other high-value proteins if the initial research succeeds.

Cranfield said alternative production technologies could complement established farming systems and help build a more resilient and sustainable supply. Whether this particular process can deliver those benefits at commercial scale remains to be established through further development.

The collaboration also brings an industrial partner into the proof-of-concept stage. HyphaPro will work alongside the university’s applied mycology researchers as they investigate the fungal production route, connecting the academic research with the project’s intended foundation for commercial development.

Funding comes through a UK center whose remit covers the practical challenges of bringing alternative protein technologies into use. NAPIC was launched in August 2024 with support from BBSRC, Innovate UK and public and private sector stakeholders. Its work spans precision and biomass fermentation, cultivated meat and proteins derived from sources including plants, fungi, bacteria and algae.

NAPIC’s research program covers production, processing, product performance and consumer behavior. Alongside developing ingredients, its stated objectives include improving their functional and nutritional quality and addressing the processes needed to manufacture them. The Cranfield collaboration addresses the production stage by testing a fungal host for a specific functional protein.

For Baghela, Cervini and Foster, the next step is to determine whether the engineered strains can deliver ovotransferrin in the controlled fermentation process. A successful proof of concept would provide a starting point for larger-scale development and for investigating whether the production approach could be extended to additional high-value proteins.

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