**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** TECHNOLOGY-BASED APPROACHES TO DEVELOP ALTERNATIVE PROTEIN SOURCES WITH GREAT FLAVOR AND TEXTURE HAVE ENORMOUS POTENTIAL FOR IMPROVING THE SUSTAINABILITY AND QUALITY OF THE AMERICAN DIET. IN RECENT YEARS, ALTERNATIVE PROTEIN SOURCES HAVE GARNERED INCREASING POPULARITY IN THE FOOD INDUSTRY. MANY DIFFERENT TYPES OF ALTERNATIVE PLANT-BASED PROTEIN OFFERINGS ARE COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE TO CONSUMERS (I.E., VEGGIE BURGERS); HOWEVER, THERE ARE LESS OFFERINGS THAT ARE AVAILABLE REPRESENTING THE SEAFOOD CATEGORY. THERE IS SUBSTANTIAL INTEREST IN THE INCORPORATION OF MUSHROOMS INTO NON-MEAT-BASED FOOD PRODUCTS TO HELP ADDRESS THE 2020-2025 DIETARY GUIDELINES FOR AMERICANS TO LOWER ENERGY DENSITY IN THE U.S. FOOD SUPPLY, TO INCREASE NUTRIENT DENSITY, AND TO DECREASE SODIUM CONSUMPTION. THE WHITE BUTTON MUSHROOM, AGARICUS BISPORUS, IS THE MOST WIDELY CONSUMED MUSHROOM IN THE UNITED STATES, RESULTING IN AN ENORMOUS NUMBER OF MUSHROOM STEMS AS A MAJOR AGRICULTURAL WASTE STREAM. THIS PROJECT IS AIMEDAT UTILIZING DISCARDED EDIBLE MUSHROOM STEMS FROM THE COMMERCIAL MUSHROOM INDUSTRY AS A BASIS FOR DEVELOPING MUSHROOM-BASED SEAFOOD ALTERNATIVES WITH APPEALING SEAFOOD FLAVOR AND TEXTURE. THIS NOVEL APPROACH WILL COMBINE THE CROSS-FUNCTIONAL DISCIPLINES OF FLAVOR CHEMISTRY, PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY AND CONSUMER SENSORY SCIENCE TO ACHIEVE OUR GOALS.