{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,15]],"date-time":"2026-09-15T11:03:19Z","timestamp":1789470199975,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":50,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"18","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,15]],"date-time":"2026-09-15T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1789430400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Foods"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Plant-based foods have emerged as an important choice for many consumers. Although foods formulated from plant-derived raw materials and ingredients can contribute to more sustainable food systems, their broader consumer acceptance continues to be constrained by suboptimal flavour quality compared with products prepared using animal-derived ingredients. While considerable research has focused on improving the texture, nutritional value, and processing of plant-based foods, recreating the savoury depth characteristic of animal-derived foods remains a persistent challenge. Edible mushroom by-products have attracted increasing attention as sustainable sources of flavour-enhancing compounds; however, their functionality cannot be explained solely by the presence of glutamate or other individual constituents. Rather, their sensory effects arise from coordinated interactions among umami-active molecules, receptor-mediated taste mechanisms, food matrix properties, and human perception. This review examines the potential of edible mushroom by-products as natural flavour-enhancing ingredients for plant-based foods. It also reviews evidence on flavour-active composition, the molecular basis of umami perception, glutamate\u20135\u2032-nucleotide synergism, formulation strategies, sensory evaluation, consumer acceptance, and industrial translation.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/foods15183255","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,15]],"date-time":"2026-09-15T09:31:57Z","timestamp":1789464717000},"page":"3255","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Valorisation of Edible Mushroom By-Products as Natural Flavour Enhancers in Plant-Based Foods: Mechanisms, Sensory Profiles, and Industrial Translation"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0000-2387-2408","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Hadeel","family":"Edkaidek","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Food Processing, Faculty of Agriculture, Palestine Technical University-Al-Aroub Branch, Hebron, Palestine"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0003-7855-5153","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Divakar","family":"Dahiya","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital, Basingstoke RG24 9NA, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8505-5382","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Poonam Singh","family":"Nigam","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Biomedical Sciences Research Institute, Ulster University, Coleraine BT52 1SA, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,15]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"234","DOI":"10.1038\/s43016-026-01317-0","article-title":"A systematic review of sustainable food systems identifies socio-economic pathways driving food systems transformations","volume":"7","author":"Chrisendo","year":"2026","journal-title":"Nat. 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