Dried oyster mushrooms

© Smithy Mushrooms

studies-numbers

Danish Scientists and Michelin-Starred Chefs Explore New Mycelium From Oyster Mushrooms for Meat Alternatives

Scientists from the Technical University of Denmark, collaborating with chefs from the Michelin-starred restaurant Alchemist in Copenhagen, have found that mycelium from oyster mushrooms (P. ostreatus) has excellent potential and acceptance as an alternative to meat and seafood. Although oyster mushrooms are widely consumed, the culinary qualities and food safety of their root structure have thus far never been explored. But, as part of a project funded by the Good Food Institute, the scientists used biomass fermentation to grow the mycelium on coffee grounds and wood and measure its benefits for food. After fermentation, the resulting ingredient was found to be protein-rich, containing essential vitamins such as B5 and provitamin D2, while offering lower levels of toxins and allergens compared to their fruiting bodies. The …

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Hamburg-based Infinite Roots announces the retail launch of the first mycelium-based products developed in partnership with South Korea's leading food manufacturer, Pulmuone.

Image courtesy of Infinite Roots

Fungi, Mushrooms & Mycelium

Infinite Roots Brings Mycelium-Based Meat to South Korea Via Pulmuone After Hitting Regulatory Roadblock in EU

Hamburg-based Infinite Roots (formerly Mushlabs) announces the retail launch of its first mycelium-based meat products developed with Pulmuone, one of the three leading South Korean food manufacturers along with CJ CheilJedang and Daesang Corporation. The initial line offered by this strategic partnership consists of mycelium-based meat burger patties and meatballs, which have launched under Pulmuone’s recognized Earth Diet line. The collaboration was initiated earlier this year to introduce a wide range of nutritious, clean-label, and sustainable protein products tailored to the preferences of South Korean consumers. By leveraging Infinite Roots’ technology and production capabilities and Pulmuone’s market power and trusted brands, the companies aim to unlock the potential of mycelium in food production. The new meat alternatives are labeled as 100% plant-based and combine mycelium …

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GOB mycelium earplugs

© GOB

Fungi, Mushrooms & Mycelium

GOB and Ecovative Introduce World’s First Mycelium-Based Compostable Earplugs

San Francisco-based startup GOB has launched the world’s first compostable earplugs made entirely from mycelium, an eco-friendly alternative to traditional plastic-based earplugs. Mycelium, the root structure of mushrooms, offers a biodegradable solution to the estimated 40 billion plastic earplugs produced globally each year, many of which contribute to environmental pollution. The earplugs are created in partnership with Ecovative, a leader in mycelium technology, and are produced using agricultural byproducts that are formed into shape by robotic systems. GOB’s earplugs have been designed to maintain sound clarity while providing effective noise reduction.  Unlike traditional foam earplugs that can distort certain frequencies, GOB’s product is described as offering balanced sound absorption while avoiding the muffling effect commonly associated with PVC-based products. Earplugs that feed the soil GOB’s …

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Beyond Meat headquarters in El Segundo, California

Beyond Meat headquarters in El Segundo, California ©JHVEPhoto-stock.adobe.com

Company News

Beyond Meat Unveils Plans to Launch a Mycelium Steak Alternative

Beyond Meat has plans to launch a mycelium-based whole-cut steak alternative, responding to growing consumer demand for clean-label alternatives, reports CNBC. President and CEO Ethan Brown said that the new filet would roll out in a healthy restaurant chain instead of McDonald’s, Dunkin’, or KFC; however, he did not give a launch date. “The focus on this has been a very small number of ingredients, very high protein, and very low saturated fat,” Brown told CNBC. Mycoprotein for realistic alternatives Mycoprotein, an ingredient derived from mycelium made with fermentation technologies, is becoming a popular in meat alternatives due to its muscle-like texture, adaptable mild flavor, low saturated fat content, and nutritional profile rich in essential amino acids, fiber, iron, zinc, and potassium. Companies using mycoprotein …

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Optimized Foods caviar

© Optimized Foods

Fungi, Mushrooms & Mycelium

Optimized Foods Leverages Mycelium Technology to Advance Cultivated Caviar and Plant-Based Fats

California-based Optimized Foods, a food technology company specializing in mycelium-based products, is leveraging its proprietary MycoCarrier™ platform to create sustainable and nutritious alternatives to conventionally animal-based foods. The company’s innovations include Cultivated Caviar, a fish-free substitute for traditional caviar, produced through advanced biomanufacturing techniques. Mycelium, the root structure of fungi, is at the core of Optimized Foods’ approach. The MycoCarrier™ platform uses spherical mycelium to convert agricultural byproducts into high-value food products. This process aims to enhance the taste, texture, and nutritional value of these products while also addressing significant challenges in the food industry, such as the need for sustainable fat replacements and nutrient bioavailability. Fish-free caviar One of the company’s inaugural products is branded as Cultivated Caviar. Traditionally, caviar is harvested from wild …

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CONSUMER by NONGZAO transforms ordinary plastic objects into eco-friendly items by using them as molds for mycelium grown on agricultural waste, such as coffee grounds and rice husks.

© NONGZAO

Fungi, Mushrooms & Mycelium

This Design Studio Shapes Mycelium and Coffee Grounds into Biodegradable Everyday Objects

Chinese design studio NONGZAO has launched a new project called CONSUMER that explores using mycelium and agricultural waste to transform everyday plastic objects into aesthetically unique biodegradable items. Designers Gang Xu, Yatu Tan, Lili Liang, and Zixin He started by using popular and widely available plastic stools, chairs, and lighting fixtures as molds for the mycelium to grow on coffee grounds and rice husks. Coffee grounds are rich in nutrients such as cellulose and lignin, which favor mycelium growth while allowing food waste to be turned into functional objects. Additionally, the process recycles waste and absorbs carbon, reducing atmospheric CO2 levels. Breaking from industrial waste Every mold infused with the biological material transforms into a unique and organic form, shaped by the growth patterns of …

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Adamo Foods steak

© Adamo Foods

Fungi, Mushrooms & Mycelium

Adamo Foods Secures $2.5M to Scale Clean-Label Mycelium Steak

Adamo Foods, a UK startup making beef steak alternatives from fungi, has raised $2.5 million in a seed funding round co-led by UK Innovation Science and Seed Fund (UKI2S) and Joyful Ventures. Adamo will use the funding to increase the production of its clean-label mycelium steak to pilot scale and expand its team by hiring senior food industry experts. The company also plans to develop more products, such as a chicken breast alternative. Milo Runkle, co-founder and General Partner at Joyful Ventures, will join Adamo’s board following the raise. With the mycelium steak, which is claimed to be the first ultra-realistic beef steak alternative made from fungi, Adamo plans to disrupt the whole-cut meat alternatives market. While most conventional meat products consumed worldwide are whole …

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Cadillac's SOLLEI

© General Motors

Materials

MycoWorks and GM Unveil Cadillac EV SOLLEI, the First Car with Mycelium Leather Interior

Biomaterials innovator  MycoWorks and its previous investor, General Motors, partnered to co-develop mycelium materials tailored for car interiors in 2022. Two years later, the companies introduced what they claim to be the first automobile to incorporate a mycelium bio-based material as an alternative to plastic and leather. The automobile, Cadillac’s latest concept EV SOLLEI, features MycoWorks’ Fine Mycelium in an iridescent version in the charging mats on the console and door map pockets, showcasing its versatility in sustainable automotive design. As Cadillac’s design director Erin Crossley stated, the new concept aims to redefine travel and material usage with an optimistic, celestial-inspired design. “The SOLLEI concept cultivates the vision for limitless expression and artful integration between travel and leisure,” he added. Pioneering mycelium materials MycoWorks, founded in …

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Millow has secured a €2.4 million grant from the European Innovation Council (EIC) Accelerator.

© Millow

Company News

Millow Awarded €2.4M EU Grant to Scale Whole Food Mycelium-Oat Meat Alternatives

Swedish startup Millow has secured a €2.4 million grant from the European Innovation Council (EIC) Accelerator and the SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA) to scale production at its pilot facility in Gothenburg. According to the announcement, the grant from EISMEA unlocks an opportunity for Millow to receive up to €15 million in equity funding from the European Investment Bank, contingent on the startup securing additional investments from private investors. Millow is championing meat alternatives that emphasise health and whole food ingredients. Its products, made with 50% mycelium and 50% Swedish oats, are said to be high in protein, easily digestible, and free from artificial ingredients, GMOs, binders, and additives. Esmaeil Taherzadeh, co-founder and executive board member of the company, informs vegconomist that the startup has already co-developed …

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Mycelium MyBacon

©MyForest Foods

Retail & E-Commerce

Mycelium-Based MyBacon Strips Available in LA and San Francisco for First Time

MyForest Food, an Ecovative spinoff founded in 2020 and previously known as Atlast, announces its mycelium-based MyBacon strips will be available to consumers on the West Coast for the first time through a retail partnership with online grocer Good Eggs, thus increasing its footprint to 550+ retailers across the country. MyBacon, a plant-based and Kosher-certified meatless bacon, is crafted from just five ingredients: organic oyster mushroom mycelium, salt, organic sugar, organic coconut oil, and natural flavors. Offering a taste, smell, and texture akin to bacon from animals, MyBacon’s sustainable farming and production process requires less land and water while emitting significantly lower carbon emissions compared to conventional pork production. In response to growing consumer demand, MyForest Foods is expanding beyond the East Coast for the …

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Biotech startup Atlantic Fish Co., headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina, leverages cellular agriculture to create seafood free of plastics, mercury, antibiotics, and animal suffering.

© Atlantic Fish Co.

Startups, Accelerators & Incubators

12th ProVeg Incubator Cohort Features Mycelium Tech, Next Gen Pet Food, and Cultivated Sea Bass

Berlin-based ProVeg Incubator today reveals the five impact-driven startups that have been selected for the 12th cohort of its accelerator programme, designed for alt-protein startups driving food system transformation. This year’s programme has been revised and improved in order to create more opportunities for the participants to take their business to the next level. With an extension from 12 weeks to 20 weeks, the incubator now offers a kick-off week in Berlin for the founders to meet and attend workshops and events in-person, as well as additional mentoring and business support. The startups will take part in a series of workshops, fireside chats, and speaker-led sessions throughout the 20-week programme. ProVeg Incubator alumni that have gone on to succeed in their respective fields include Better Nature …

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Prime Roots Plant-Based Deli Meat

©Prime Roots

Company News

Prime Roots is Giving Away a Million Slices of Koji Mycelium Deli Meat

Prime Roots, producer of koji mycelium cold cuts, as well as plant-based pâtés and foie gras products amongst others, is giving away a million slices of its vegan koji deli meat alternative on a US tour. The Californian brand was recently recognized on Time Magazine’s America’s Top GreenTech Companies in 2024 list and has received several further awards as pictured below. Additionally, the B-Corp last month celebrated being featured in the hugely popular Netflix series You Are What You Eat: A Twin Experiment. In the series, Prime Roots was the “leading innovator” of the plant-based deli meat in the swap, in an experiment whereby in sets of twins one consumed an omnivore diet and the other plant-based, in order to compare the physical effects. Cybertruck …

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Macalat and MycoTechnology have partnered to create a sweet dark chocolate bar

© Macalat

Sweets & Snacks

Sugar-Free Mycelium Chocolate Described as Most Significant Innovation in Chocolate in a Century

US confectionery brand Macalat has introduced a vegan, organic, zero-sugar, sweet dark chocolate bar —  Organic Sweet Dark Chocolate — claiming it to be the most significant innovation in chocolate in the past 100 years. To achieve this breakthrough, Macalat has partnered with the mushroom innovator MycoTechnology to create a dark chocolate experience using a mycelium-derived flavor modulator called ClearIQ.   Produced using fermentation, ClearIQ is said to be an “incredible” and natural solution to eliminate the need for sugar, milk, or artificial sweeteners and mask the bitterness and astringency of dark chocolate. In addition, as a flavor amplifier, it enhances the full spectrum of cacao flavors while delivering a smooth texture. According to MycoTechnology, ClearIQ’s capabilities extend beyond chocolate to other F&B products, positioning it as …

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The Protein Brewery's flagship mycelium ingredient has received novel food approval in Singapore.

© The Protein Brewery

Cultivated, Cell-Cultured & Biotechnology

The Protein Brewery Receives Novel Food Regulatory Approval for Mycelium Protein in Singapore

Dutch fermentation specialist The Protein Brewery announces it has received regulatory approval from the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) for its flagship mycelium-derived ingredient Fermotein. The approval will enable the company to import, manufacture, and sell Fermotien or products containing it while expanding its operations in the country. Singapore has emerged as a hub for alternative proteins since the SFA set ambitious targets to produce 30% of the nation’s nutritional needs locally by 2030. As part of this strategy, the country seeks to incorporate safe, novel foods and ingredients that promise nutritional and sustainable benefits. The Finish biotech Solar Foods has also received approval in Singapore, where it recently debuted a chocolate bar made with an air-based protein called Solein. CEO Sue Garfitt comments: “The Protein Brewery …

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mylo Bolt Threads

©Bolt Threads

Leather Alternatives

Report: Could Mycelium Leather Transform the Leather Market?

IDTechEx analyses the potential of mycelium as an innovative leather alternative in a new report. According to the report, recent developments in the industry mark the beginning of major production growth, though companies in the industry also face some technological challenges that need to be overcome in order to achieve sustainable market growth. Key players in the production of mycelium leather include MycoWorks, California, producer of materials including Reishi Bolt Threads, California, producer of materials including Mylo Ecovative, New York, operates several platforms including a specialized soft goods division called Forager which creates materials from its AirMycelium™ technology SQIM, Italy, operates MOGU, a dedicated interior design and architecture brand offering a range of wall, floor, and acoustic treatment products, and EPHEA, which targets the luxury fashion …

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Researchers use mycelium to make loudspeakers

© iStock/OleksandrKr

Fungi, Mushrooms & Mycelium

Researchers Use Mycelium & 3D Printing to Make Loudspeakers More Sustainable

Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Learning Technology (Fraunhofer IWU) is investigating the potential of mycelium as an effective, affordable, and sustainable material in loudspeaker construction. The researchers aim to process live mycelium using 3D printing, before influencing its growth to achieve both sound-reflecting and sound-absorbing properties. By altering environmental conditions, the properties could be specifically adjusted, creating foam-like structures to absorb sound and dampen vibrations along with solid and smooth structures for sound reflection. Mycelium could therefore be used both for loudspeaker housings and as an insulating material. This technique could reduce the cost of producing transmission line loudspeakers, which are expensive and complex as they contain a pipe up to three metres long to provide bass and reduce resonance. This pipe must …

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Kynda debuts a new mycelium ingredient in vegan burgers crafted by The Ranging Pig Co.

© Image courtesy of Kynda

Fermentation

Kynda Debuts Zero-Waste Mycelium Ingredient in Burgers Crafted by The Raging Pig Co.

German B2B biotech Kynda announces that it is introducing in the European market a new zero-waste mycelium ingredient — exempt from EU novel food regulations — for alt meat and hybrid products. Branded Kynda Meat, the ingredient is said to be highly nutritious and a “truly sustainable” alternative to animal proteins. It is made only with upcycled ingredients fermented in a highly efficient 48-hour biomass fermentation process.  In a first collaboration, Kynda Meat will debut at the Internorga trade fair in Hamburg (starting today), in vegan burgers created by the food tech The Ranging Pig Co. A new range of vegan sausages by The Ranging Pig will also be available for tasting. “Our mycelium-based ingredients offer a unique blend of taste, nutrition and environmental benefits to meet the growing demand …

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mushrooms

Image courtesy of ProVeg International

Fungi, Mushrooms & Mycelium

Infinite Roots and Infinite Potential: In Conversation with a Mycelium Meat Startup

Within the world of alternative proteins, one category is rising up as a solution to many of the industry’s problems. A protein source that contains all essential amino acids, that’s high in fibre and low in saturated fat, that grows extremely efficiently and requires minimal processing. A protein source that doesn’t come from the kingdom of animals, or plants. The promise of mycelium (the root-like structures of mushrooms) was enough for Mazen Rizk to found German-based Infinite Roots (formerly Mushlabs). The mycoprotein start-up recently went through a branding change to make the promise of mycelium explicit. In its latest New Food Hub article, ProVeg International chats with Philip Tigges, Managing Director and CFO of Infinite Roots. Mycelium, Tigges tells ProVeg International, has an excellent and …

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Infinite Roots team

Cathy Hutz (co-founder), Philipp Tigges (CFO), Dr. Mazen Rizk (founder and CEO) and Dr. Thibault Godard (co-founder) © Infinite Roots

Company News

Mycelium Tech Infinite Roots Announces Strategic Partnership with Pulmuone

Mycelium tech company Infinite Roots, formerly Mushlabs, announces a strategic partnership with Pulmuone, a leading food manufacturer from South Korea. Together, the companies intend to develop innovative protein products specifically tailored to the needs and taste preferences of the South Korean market. Infinite Roots has developed a patented method to use mycelium in innovative ways for food production. Just last month, the German startup secured $58 million in an oversubscribed Series B round, said to be Europe’s largest-ever investment in mycelium. On the other hand, Pulmuone, known for its tofu products, owns the Nasoya brand, famous for its plant-based steak line Plantspired which is hugely popular domestically as well as in the US, and is catering to the increasing interest in plant-based products in the …

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the Chinese startup will launch the 70/30 Mycelium Research Lab, located within a renowned biotech startup incubator,

© 70/30 Food Tech

Cultivated, Cell-Cultured & Biotechnology

70/30 Food Tech to Launch Mycelium Research Lab to Create Affordable Proteins for Asia

Shanghai-based 70/30 Food Tech, a 100% plant-based ready meal company and a producer of plant, fungi, and mycelium-based ingredients, announces that it has completed a seed-extension fundraising round (the raised amount has not been disclosed). With the funds, the Chinese startup will launch the 70/30 Mycelium Research Lab, seemingly located in Bangalore, India, within a renowned biotech startup incubator to develop cost-effective fungi-based biomass ingredients for alternative meats. With this expansion, the startup will have a presence in two important Asian markets. According to the press release, the funding round received strong backing from investors, with participation from Better Bite Ventures and support from previous seed investors. “We believe that mycelium-based sustainable protein products can be a gateway to broader consumer adoption in Asia, especially given …

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