Is Quorn Ultra Processed?

Quorn provides a variety of meat-free products like mince and ready meals, marketed as a healthy alternative for those reducing meat intake or following vegetarian and vegan diets. Made primarily from mycoprotein, a protein derived from fungus, Quorn’s ingredient list raises a common question: is Quorn ultra processed?

Let’s delve into what’s inside Quorn and its manufacturing process to determine if it fits this category.

What Is Quorn?

• Main Ingredient: Mycoprotein from Fusarium venenatum.
• Product Range: Includes mince, chunks, sausages, sandwich slices and ready meals suitable for vegetarians and vegans.

What Are Ultra Processed Foods?

Ultra processed foods are substantially altered from their natural state and often include ingredients like sugars, oils, and preservatives, which are not typically used in home cooking. These products are usually heavily marketed, convenient and ready-to-eat with minimal preparation.

At First Glance: Is Quorn Ultra Processed?

Let’s evaluate Quorn using the UPF identification checklist.

Packaging

Quorn products are packaged to extend shelf life and maintain freshness, typical of many ultra-processed foods.

Ready to Eat

Quorn offers products like deli slices that are ready to eat, aligning with the ultra processed characteristic of convenience. Their other products require only minimal preparation making them convenient too.

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5+ Ingredients

Quorn products contain more than 5 ingredients, including mycoprotein, rehydrated egg white and natural flavourings.

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Use of Additives

Quorn includes natural flavourings and preservatives to enhance taste and shelf life.

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Industrial Processing Techniques

Quorn’s manufacturing involves advanced food technology such as fermentation and texturing, substantially altering the original fungal form.

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High Sugar, Fat, or Salt Content

Quorn manages to keep sugar, fat, and salt contents moderate, which differentiates it from many ultra processed foods.

Lack of Whole Foods

The primary ingredient in Quorn, while derived from a natural source, undergoes extensive processing, moving away from its whole, natural form.

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Degree of Transformation

Quorn experiences significant transformation from cultivation to final product, including fermenting, texturing, and flavouring, affirming its UPF status.

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Natural Flavourings

Natural flavourings might sound simple, but they’re heavily processed. These flavours are extracted from natural sources like fruits or plants, yet the complex processing they undergo aligns them with UPFs. Despite their natural origins, extensive processing modifies them significantly from their original state.

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A Closer Look At Quorn

Quorn Mince

Ingredients

• Mycoprotein (89%): This is protein-rich, fibre-rich product derived from the fermentation of a fungus, Fusarium venenatum. It serves as the base ingredient in Quorn products, mimicking the texture of meat. Considered ultra processed due to its extensive fermentation and processing that transforms the fungus into a high protein food product.
• Rehydrated free range egg white: This is the binder which helps maintain the structure and texture of Quorn. The drying and rehydration process makes it a UPF ingredient. It involves separation from the yolks, pasteurisation, drying and powdering.
• Pea Fibre: Extracted fibre from peas, used to enhance the texture and fibrous quality of Quorn, contributing to its meat-like feel. Due to isolation and extraction processes, this is definitely UPF.
• Gluten-Free Barley Malt Extract: This is a flavour enhancer derived from barley. It provides a subtle sweetness and depth of flavour. The malting, mashing and extraction processes used to obtain the malt extract form the barley grains means this is another ultra processed ingredient.
• Firming Agents: Calcium Chloride, Calcium Acetate: These firming agents are used to maintain the texture and consistency of Quorn Mince, preventing it from becoming too soft during cooking. They are industrially produced and added to food for their functional properties. They are totally ultra processed and synthetic.

So, is Quorn mince ultra processed? I think it is pretty clear it is.

Quorn Chicken Style Pieces

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Ingredients

• Mycoprotein (96%): High protein, high fibre derived from the fungus Fusarium venenatum. Ultra processed due to its extensive fermentation and processing processes.
• Rehydrated Free Range Egg White: Used to as a binding agent to help give the product a firm texture. The drying and rehydration processed alter the natural state of the egg white, so it is ultra processed.
• Natural Flavouring: These enhance the flavour of the product, making it more palatable and giving it a taste similar to chicken. This is ultra processed because the creation of flavours can be extensive. They are usually derived from various sources and then extracted to create specific flavours.
• Firming Agents: Calcium Chloride, Calcium Acetate: They are included to help maintain the texture of the chicken style pieces, making sure they hold together and create a consistent chew. They are added for their chemical properties and are a hallmark of processing as they do not occur in this form naturally.

Quorn Vegan Chicken Free Slices

Ingredients

• Mycoprotein (83%): High protein, high fibre fungus but heavily processed classifying it ultra processed.
• Water: Added to help adjust consistency and moisture content.
• Flavourings: Used to enhance the overall taste of the product however the processed to create them is ultra processed. Some flavours will include synthetic components and natural components will be heavily processed. As most products just say flavourings, you can’t be certain of what is involved in producing them.
• Gelling Agents: Agar, Locust Bean Gum: This is used to stabilise and firm up the product. Both agar (extracted from seaweed) and locust bean (derived from the seeds of the carob tree) undergo significant processing to purify and prepare them for use, making them ultra processed.
• Preservative: Potassium Sorbate: This is used to extend the shelf life of the product. Potassium sorbate is synthetically manufactured and used for its anti-microbial properties. A common ingredient in UPFs.

Is Quorn UPF According To The NOVA Classification?

NOVA classifies foods into four groups, with Group 4 being ultra processed foods. These are foods that are changed a lot from how they start out and often have added things like colours, falvours or preservatives. These wouldn’t be used in home cooking.

Given Quorn’s manufacturing process and ingredient list, it would categorically fall into this group.

Is Quorn UPF According To Open Food Facts?

Open Food Facts tracks products worldwide and classifies them based on their processing level. Quorn, with its extensive processing and use of additives, is listed as NOVA 4, confirming its status as an ultra processed food.

So, is Quorn Ultra Processed or Not?

Yes!

It goes through extensive processing that significantly changes its main ingredient, mycoprotein, from its natural state.

Is Quorn Ultra Processed According To Quorn?

Quorn doesn’t deny that it is ultra processed, however the CEO, Marco Bertacca has shared his views and concerns on being classified as an UPF. Here is a break down of his article:

CEO’s Views

Marco Bertacca, the CEO of Quorn, has spoken about the label “ultra-processed” being a bit misleading. He believes that just calling food ultra-processed doesn’t tell you much about whether it’s good or bad for you. He thinks the focus should be more on what the food contains—like how much protein and fibre it has—and not just on how it’s made.

Questioning the Labels

Bertacca argues that many foods undergo some level of processing, but this doesn’t automatically make them unhealthy. He suggests that it’s more important to look at the nutritional value of the food rather than how much it has been processed.

Promoting a Balanced Diet

Quorn promotes its products as part of a balanced diet. They point out that their products are high in protein and fibre and low in fat, which can be beneficial despite the processing. Quorn believes that a diet should be judged on its overall nutrition and balance, not just whether the food is processed.

Calling for Better Discussions

The company encourages more detailed conversations about how foods are processed within the food industry and among customers. They support more research into how different foods affect health and believe decisions about food should be based on solid science, not just broad categories.

Essentially, Quorn wants their products to be considered for their nutritional benefits and their role in supporting a sustainable and healthy diet. This is similar to Huel’s stance on their product.

Conclusion

Quorn is ultra processed – there is no escaping this fact. If your aim is to reduce UPFs then adding or keeping Quorn in your diet might not be the best move.

Whether Quorn is healthy is another consideration altogether. From a purely UPF perspective it might not be healthy. It uses flavour enhancers, additives and preservatives to make the mycoprotein palatable and great tasting, which implies to me it probably isn’t. However, compared to other UPFs you may consider it a better option to have.

For more burning questions such as is Quorn mince ultra processed, check out our: Is this food ultra proccessed? section