Vayu Hill-Maini ’15 featured in Chemical & Engineering News for work transforming food waste
Hill-Maini double-majored in biology and chemistry at Carleton.
Vayu Hill-Maini ’15 was featured by Chemical & Engineering News in a piece titled, “This bioengineer transforms food waste into haute cuisine.”
Filamentous fungi, like mushrooms and molds, are essential components in a wide variety of fermented food products. From cheese and chocolate to miso and beer, these organisms not only produce unique flavors but also can transform inedible plant matter into nutritious treats.
Unlike bacteria or yeasts that mainly turn simple sugars into alcohols or acids, filamentous fungi are adept at breaking down complex substrates. This makes the fungi suitable for converting biowaste—such as fruit peels, cereal straws, and pulp—into food.
While fermented products have been a part of our diet for millennia, the genetics of fungi that turn biowaste into food have not been studied in detail, let alone engineered for gastronomy. This untapped potential inspired Vayu Hill-Maini, a chef-turned-bioengineer at Stanford University, to focus his research on developing new biological tools that harness fungi’s ability to turn by-products of food production into food. To combine advancements in biotechnology and culinary creativity, Hill-Maini partnered with Ramón Perisé—a two-Michelin-star chef—to explore how fungal fermentation can inspire new and sustainable menus.
Kristel Tjandra talked to Hill-Maini about this unique collaboration.