Techno-economic Analysis of Fungal Biomass Production from Agricultural Byproducts: Exploring a Low-Cost Solution for Myco-food Production

Abstract Fungal biomass production from agricultural byproducts offers both economic and environmental advantages as a novel myco-food. A system model was developed using SuperPro Designer and applied to the techno-economic analysis of Aspergillus awamori production from almond hulls as feedstock. Two process design scenarios were evaluated. In Scenario 1, almond hull extract was used as the sole growth medium. In Scenario 2, the extract was mixed with nutrients produced by enzymatic hydrolysis of residual solids. Scenario 1 generated 2906 MT of fungal biomass annually from 15,650 MT of hulls, whereas Scenario 2 produced 4593 MT of fungal biomass per year from 15,200 MT of hulls. Sensitivity analysis examined the impacts of almond hull price, enzyme cost, and processing capacity on the breakeven price of fungal biomass. The breakeven prices ranged from $5 to $7 per kilogram (dry basis) for both scenarios. Raw materials and utilities accounted for the majority of the operating costs in both scenarios. Scenario 2 achieved a lower breakeven price, indicating better economic feasibility. In both scenarios, the cost of fungal biomass was most sensitive to almond hull price, while processing capacity had a minimal effect under a financing structure with an interest rate of 9% and 50% debt over 20 years. Compared with conventional meats and other protein alternatives, myco-food costs were lower on a mass basis and offered protein-cost savings relative to beef. These results position myco-food as a sustainable and competitive food ingredient and suggest that targeting specialty dietary markets could enhance commercial viability.