Utah State University researchers led by Erika Espinosa-Ortiz have received a $900,000 grant from the W. M. Keck Foundation to test whether fungal networks use electrical activity to sense and respond to their environment. The team plans to build a non-invasive imaging tool based on genetically encoded fluorescent proteins that change brightness with the electrical potential of the fungal cell membrane, then use machine learning to analyse the resulting datasets.

Researchers at NTU Singapore, working with Ichimasa Kamaboko, raised the protein content of okara to between 27.7% and 30.2% by dry weight using oyster mushroom mycelium, in a lab-scale study published in Food Chemistry: X.

Researchers at Purdue University have grown a composite film by co-culturing the white-rot fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium with cellulose-producing bacteria, yielding a material that simultaneously achieves high tensile strength and toughness, outperforming most reported biodegradable films.

Nairobi-based MycoTile, founded by inventor Mtamu Kililo, now produces approximately 3,000 m² of mycelium-based construction panels per month, using around 250 tonnes of agricultural waste annually.

Beyond Meat has launched a new mycelium-based steak filet into US retail, marking the company's first foray into fungi-derived whole-cut products. The product uses mycelium to replicate the fibrous texture of whole-cut beef steak in a way that plant proteins alone have struggled to achieve. The launch signals a strategic pivot for Beyond Meat as the broader plant-based meat category faces sustained consumer demand decline, with fungi-derived formats offering a potential route