Fungi are “nature’s biological recycling machines,” says guest Vayu Hill-Maini, a former chef turned bioengineer. That is, they take waste and turn it into good things. Hill-Maini now melds his scientific and culinary skills to create new foods, but also medicines, faux leather, pigments and other valuable products from mushrooms and molds. He uses CRISPR gene editing technology to “domesticate” these fungi – removing off-flavors and increasing nutritional content to make new-age cheeses, burgers, salami, and more. “We call it the DBTL cycle – design, build, taste, learn,” Hill-Maini tells host Russ Altman about his creative process on this episode of Stanford Engineering’s The Future of Everything podcast. Have a question for Russ? Send it our way in writing or via voice memo, and it might be featured on an upcoming episode. Please introduce yourself, let us know where you're listening from, and share your question. You can send questions to thefutureofeverything@stanford.edu. Episode Reference Links: Stanford Profile: Vayu Hill-Maini Connect With Us: Episode Transcripts >>> The Future of Everything Website Connect with Russ >>> Threads / Bluesky / Mastodon Connect with School of Engineering >>> Twitter/X / Instagram / LinkedIn / Facebook Chapters: (00:00:00) Introduction Russ Altman introduces guest Vayu Hill-Maini, a professor of bioengineering at Stanford University. (00:03:33) From Chef to Bioengineer How Hill-Maini’s culinary background led him to study food through science. (00:05:23) Building a Lab with a Kitchen Why his Stanford lab combines bioengineering research with culinary experimentation. (00:07:32) What Are Fungi? A primer on yeasts, molds, mushrooms, and their role in food and medicine. (00:10:22) Domesticating Fungi How humans have shaped fungi over thousands of years. (00:14:23) Mushrooms as a Food Source The nutrients, proteins, vitamins, and beneficial molecules found in fungi. (00:16:21) Fungi as Biological Recyclers Using fungi to turn food waste, agricultural waste, and other materials into useful products. (00:18:22) Making Waste-Based Foods Desirable Why taste, emotion, and culinary design matter for sustainable foods. (00:20:22) Engineering Delicious Fungi Using genetics and CRISPR to improve flavor, nutrition, and usability. (00:22:50) Gentle Genetic Tweaks Making small changes to reduce off-flavors or enhance useful traits. (00:23:46) Design, Build, Taste, Learn How the lab moves between kitchen and bench science to improve foods. (00:24:06) Chefs in the Lab How culinary collaborators help guide research and creativity. (00:28:58) Fungi-Based Materials The potential to create textiles, leather alternatives, and building materials. (00:31:03) Future In a Minute Rapid-fire Q&A: sustainability, students, and the promise of fungi. (00:33:25) Conclusion Connect With Us: Episode Transcripts >>> The Future of Everything Website Connect with Russ >>> Threads / Bluesky / Mastodon Connect with School of Engineering >>>Twitter/X / Instagram / LinkedIn / Facebook Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
