Anybody tried Quorn?

**mcquiggd** · 4 January 2006, 16:43

.. and I have to report - they are actually very tasty! Im quite suprised... tastes very much like lamb... which considering its made from fungus is quite an achievement.

**Rebecca Loos** · 4 January 2006, 16:47

yes I'm well into Quorn, good alternative to meat and although it will never taste like the real thing, it has a decent flavour.

**sunnysan** · 4 January 2006, 16:48

Quorn

AFAIK, Quorn is "Fermented" in vegatable fats to create a "mushroom - like " substance which resembles meat.

Their have been reports of nausea and vomiting as the active ingrediant, which is a fungus is an allergen in some people.

I would imagine that it is produced in processed vegatable fats and is chock full of flavourants and preservatives.

To cut a long story short, I would think that a good steak would may be more healthy than Quorn. And certainly more tasty.

DYOR but I reckon that stuff is suspect.

**mcquiggd** · 4 January 2006, 16:52

Im impressed so far - ill try using the mince next for a bolognese and see what its like... could be a major shift for me except I love eating out - and dont anybody make any smutty remarks !

**sasguru** · 4 January 2006, 16:54

FFS - Just avoid any and all processed food like the plague. M&S food is a particular culprit - check out how much salt they add - its a crime.

**mcquiggd** · 4 January 2006, 17:02

Originally posted by sunnysan

Their have been reports of nausea and vomiting as the active ingrediant, which is a fungus is an allergen in some people.

Yep I did some research before I bought some... theres an American group which is suing the company - no suprises there - and they seem to be the source of most of the bad publicity. I checked what they said had been the findings of the Food Standards Agency and it seems to be misleading.

Originally posted by sunnysan

I would imagine that it is produced in processed vegatable fats and is chock full of flavourants and preservatives.

It doesnt seem so... the only artificial ingredient is pectin...

**Lucifer Box** · 4 January 2006, 17:04

I briefly worked on the Quorn development team at Marlow Foods (a joint venture between what is now AstraZeneca, Sainsbury's and Manchester University) back in the days when I was a respectable scientist. It is a mycoprotein and in its raw state it is a white powder, about the consistency of strong flour. It is indeed fermented in large upright tanks (but then again so is beer and soy sauce). There are no vegetable fats involved, the medium for the fermentation is water.

The raw Quorn is textured by mixing it with egg white and it has a vaguely nut loafish flavour but a bit more meaty.

What the supermarkets add to it is more or less the same as they add to any processed food (i.e. tulipe). As with all foods, you will be better off buying ready-to-cook quorn and cooking with it yourself, rather than letting the supermarkets muck around with it for you.

Very safe, very easy to use, very nutritious. The only nasty ingredients are those added by the supermarkets in Quorn ready meals (just like any other ready meal).

**Lucifer Box** · 4 January 2006, 17:14

Originally posted by sasguru

FFS - Just avoid any and all processed food like the plague. M&S food is a particular culprit - check out how much salt they add - its a crime.

Totally agree, but Quorn in its natural ready-to-cook state is not a processed food. It is not genetically modified and occurs naturally (the original starter strain was isolated from a farmer's field in Marlow).

When the supermarkets add it to a ready meal, however, all bets are off.

BTW, that "research" alleging that Quorn makes you sick was sponsored by a consortium of US soya growers and is widely seen in the respectable scientific press as junk findings of the worst sort and an example of a result being bought by a vested interest group (more people are allergic to nuts, for example).

**AtW** · 4 January 2006, 17:16

Is it better than nice yummy silroin stake?

Anybody tried Quorn?