Upcycling of Soy Whey with Ischnoderma benzoinum toward Production of Bioflavors and Mycoprotein

Soy whey is becoming a worldwide issue as a liquid waste stream that is often discarded after tofu, soy protein, and soy-based dairy alternative manufacturing. This study established a model to produce a bioflavor and mycoprotein using fermentation of soy whey by a basidiomycete Ischnoderma benzoinum. Under the dedicated control of a fermentation system, an intense almond-like and sweetish aroma was perceived by a trained sensory panel (n = 10) after fermentation of pure soy whey within 20 h. By application of direct immersion-stir bar sorptive extraction combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry-olfactometry (DI-SBSE-GC-MS-O), around 1.0 mg/L benzaldehyde and 1.1 mg/L 4-methoxybenzaldehyde imparting a pleasant almond-like odor note were determined in the fermented soy whey with I. benzoinum. Concurrently, a certain of amount of the dry mass of I. benzoinum was accumulated with 73.2 mg/g crude protein and seven essential amino acids.