Functional Modification Strategies for Mushroom Proteins: Applications and Challenges

Mushrooms are a novel and sustainable source of dietary protein with potential applications in the food system. Proteins found in mushrooms have balanced amino acids along with moderate digestibility. Mushroom proteins have a wide range of applications, and they are currently being used as fortifiers, dairy alternatives, meat analogs, and as functional ingredients. However, the complex native structure of mushroom proteins limits their functional applications, such as solubility, emulsifiability, and foaming properties. The existing reviews primarily emphasize the nutritional, extraction, and bioactive aspects of mushrooms or mushroom by-products, whereas the present review discusses protein extraction methods, modification strategies, structure-function relationships, and industrial applications, as well as food product development using modified mushroom proteins. Various modification and processing strategies, such as ultrasound-assisted processing, enzymatic hydrolysis, and pH-shifting, have been explored to enhance the yield and functional characteristics, such as solubility, emulsification, and digestibility of mushroom proteins, and ∼90% protein solubility has been achieved in certain studies. The combined ultrasound (20 kHz, 100% amplitude, 5 min, continuous mode) and TGase treatment (TGase, 0.4% w/v) of Trametes versicolor protein showed the higher oil-holding capacity (2.09%) and foaming capacity (123.1%) compared to control (1.43% and 57.7%, respectively), whereas, the ultrasound in combination with pH (pH 12) showed better in vitro digestibility (93.72%) than control (81.15%). With proper technological advancements, mushroom proteins can serve as a low-cost, high-return solution that supports both human nutrition and sustainable agricultural growth. However, challenges such as large-scale production, process standardization, and commercial availability need future research to enable food applications.