# The Role of Fungi in Food Production and Processing
## 3 Future Insights: Current Trends, Prospects, and Potential Directions
### Future Prospects and Potential Directions for Further Exploration
#### 3.2.2 Solid-State Fermentation: A Promising Method for Fungal-Derived Food Production  
A method that offers opportunities for the controlled production of various fungal-derived products is solid-state fermentation (SSF). SSF is the cultivation process in which microorganisms grow on solid materials without any presence of free liquid. It is considered a promising and innovative technique for efficient food production enzymes with reduced wastewater and contamination compared to submerged fermentation (SmF) [17]. Current tendencies in the exploration of SSF involving fungi are of paramount importance in the context of agricultural practices. The fermentation substrate is expanding beyond agro-industrial waste. Fungal SSF can enhance the nutritional profile and bioaccessibility that most crops and their by-products contain. Studies have shown that these proteins enable the production of better-quality crops. According to the same studies, edible fungi have a higher content of protein and a more desirable amino acid composition. The advantages that edible fungi have in comparison to general fungi are making them a possible source of food substitutes [170]. Furthermore, the substrates include various crops such as legumes and cereals, extracts such as plant proteins and starches, and concentrates like flour [171; 172; 173]. Moreover, it is noteworthy that the majority of end products derived from SSF, particularly filamentous fungi, _Saccharomycesetes_ and edible fungi, are devoid of toxins and considered safe for both animal and human consumption [174]. Consequently, the utilization of edible fungi in SSF has emerged as an innovative approach in the food industry [175]. Therefore, it is highly preferable to employ white-rot fungi, brown-rot fungi, and soft-rot fungi capable of degrading lignin, cellulose, and hemicellulose [176]. Enzymes derived from fungal SSF find extensive utilization in the food industry, actively participating in numerous biotransformation processes [177]. As a class of proteins possessing specific activities, industrial enzymes represent one of the most commercialized products of SSF. [PERSON] et al. [178] summarized details regarding the primary enzyme products of SSF by encompassing \(\alpha\)-amylase, amylase, lipases, \(\beta\)-galactosidase, protease, and others. Furthermore, enzymes play a crucial role in non-protein active substance production. Notably, in the SSF of oat with _Monascus anka_, a strong correlation was observed between the enzyme activities and phenolic release [179; 180]. Moreover, the SSF of crops and their by-products using fungi to obtain protein resources is considered the next frontier of the food industry [170; 181]. Future research endeavors should focus on the integration of SSF with emerging technologies, requiring heightened efforts in this regard. Contemporary approaches have proven successful in evaluating the impact of fungi-derived additives on the sensory properties and quality of food. Novel strategies are available in order to increase the production of fungi metabolites that involve direct genetic manipulation with the use of genetic tools (CRISPR-Cas9 and gene recombination), [182]. CPRISPR-Cas9 has presented advanced characteristics in SSF products [177; 183]. The implementation of metabolic and genetic methods in order to enhance the industrial-scale production of fungi is imperative due to the inability of wild-type strains to synthesize desired proteins on a large scale. The gene expression of \(\alpha\)-galactosidase in the fungi _Aspergillus niger_ was significantly improved through the utilization of GlaA in comparison with the natural signaling peptide [184]. Additionally, recent advancements have enlightened the biosynthesis of important mycotoxins [161]. In this context, the advancement of genetic engineering has the potential to facilitate the production of mycotoxin-degrading enzymes with efficiency and cost-effectiveness, thereby enabling the concurrent degradation of multiple mycotoxins.