Quorn: WTF Is it?

[MissMisery]

Background... Lifelong veggie, regularly ate soya mince as a meat alternative during younger days, but more and more over the years have been eating and enjoying quorn.

I never really questioned its origins, after all, Mo Farah tells us its good! And it's low fat, far smaller carbon footprint and so on.. And I'm sure they used to say something on the packet about mushrooms from Marlow (what could be more wholesome?!)
So to my mind, it was a mushroom based product. Only it isn't......

The penny dropped whilst at a friends house. She had made a chicken curry for the meat-eaters, and had very kindly made a quorn version for me. Her dh, who is very much a 'meat and two veg' type of bloke positivlely balked when I suggested he try the quorn version. His reaction: "You couldn't pay me to eat that stuff... I was at ICI when they developed it".

Developed At ICI??!! What about the lovely mushrooms from Marlow?? A quick google search has confirmed what he said. It WAS developed by ICI, and Quorn have actually been in trouble here with advertising standards(and in the US) for suggesting it is mushroom based.

It is, of course 'mycro-protein' and a type of fungus or bacteria. This is I suppose, a natural product, but what concerns me is the process they use to texture it, which they seem rather reluctant to divulge, and does not need to be listed under ingredients. I suppose this could be an understandable desire to protect their method of preparation, but something about this is really starting to bother me.

Have I just been spectacularly naive? (I'm pre-empting a chorus of 'Of course it's ghastly artificial shite!!!' here..)

I would very much like to be reassured as to its safety, particularly as my dc eat it too. Also any alternative to the meat industry has to be a good thing..

I would love to hear from anyone with a food science background.

Thanks in advance for any input.

[Sunseed]

There was a TV programme a year or two ago showing how it was made. It was fascinating and horrifying at the same time. Can't remember much other than it multiplies itself very quickly in the right conditions and seeing massive silos full of the stuff.

[MrTrebus]

Quorn is fucking rank. End of. I'm allergic to it and I'm not allergic to anything and generally have an iron stomach. A lot of people are allergic as well, just eat veg if you're a veggie, keep away from that stuff 😷

[SheRaaarghPrincessOfPower]

I can't eat quorn, my body rejects it and I vomit. Apparently lots of people can't tolerate it.

[mrsBeverleyGoldberg]

It seems very processed to me. It gives me diarrhea.

[IHaveBrilloHair]

I think it's a lab grown fungus and I'm horribly intolerant to it, agonising cramps and violent diarrhoea which I believe is a common problem.
It doesn't taste great either.

[EchidnasPhone]

Noooo! I love quorn. I’m not veggie but love the nuggets & quorn burgers. Also the mince makes a super fast chilli. I am very choosy about where my meat comes from but I guess I never thought about where my quorn comes from. Is it really bad for you?

[Plumsofwrath]

Sorry, I think you have been naive. My rule of thumb is that “substitutes” shouldn’t be consumed by man or beast. Either eat the real thing or nothing at all. No good can come of it.

I also eat nothing soy-based in anything other than tiny proportions. It’s horrific for animals, humans and the environment.

[SheRaaarghPrincessOfPower]

It's not food!

[MakeMisogynyAHateCrime]

It makes me throw up every time I eat it.
Nope, no thanks.

[gamerchick]

It’s just heavily processed fungus stuff. Gives me bad belly’s and the runs. The husband visibly shudders at the memory of eating it.

It won’t harm you if you’re used to it but don’t kid yourself it’s healthy. Nothing that causes that much pain can be.

[Snowdrop18]

I only eat it occasionally, I just see it as a pile of chemicals. Love the stir fry things but you could stick with tofu instead.

[MakeMisogynyAHateCrime]

Also to add I wouldn’t touch soy with a 50ft donkey dick either.

[GooodMythicalMorning]

Makes me vomit too

[Fekko]

The mince gives us stomach cramps and the runs in our house! I read on a runners website that this isn’t unusual.

I like the burger type things in breadcrumb though.

[honeyroar]

I'm glad you've posted this. I've always wondered. I used to eat a lot of it when I first went veggie, but got less and less enthusiastic about it and felt strange after eating it, so gave up.

[bastardkitty]

[MarthaArthur]

Its mould spore stuff isnt it? I have serious allergies and wohldnt risk eating it. Not that i would want to.

[Chocolou]

My friends son has just been to uni to study sports science and part of he course was a whole module on quorn. One of his dissertations was about what it was, why the Americans don't eat it etc.

He didn't tell me he said google it you will be shocked. He would never touch the stuff now. Up until then him and his family ate a lot of it thinking it was the healthy option.

[bastardkitty]

Shocked face was at the 50ft donkey dick.

I'm not sure it's bad for you, but a lot of people don't get on with it. The same is also true of soya though.

[cornishmumtobe]

I feel really naive

[Ifailed]

As a vegetarian produce, it was originally grown with battery-hen egg whites, which was a bit of a controversy.

[Littlefrogletx]

My thoughts are if you're vegetarian, eat vegetables. Quorn is made in labatory, same as vegetarian cheese. It's rank.

[BertieBotts]

I like it. It doesn't bother me that it's grown in a lab. I would like to try lab grown meat when that becomes available.

[FluffyWuffy100]

I like it.

I don’t really see the issue - it’s a lab grown protein fungus thing. No ones getting harmed by it. No rain forests are being destroyed. No indenenous people are getting a vital food source priced out (quinoa). No animal suffering (meat).

[FluffyWuffy100]

Exam question - why is something lab grown inherently ‘not healthy’?