California’s The Better Meat Co., a B2B company harnessing biomass fermentation and fungi to make sustainable alternatives to animal proteins, announces it has “dramatically” reduced the cost of its flagship ingredient, mycoprotein Rhiza.
The Better Meat Co. (BMC) explains it has achieved 100 successful harvests from its large-scale 9,000 L fermentation system at its Sacramento pilot plant. This large-scale production has significantly reduced the final cost of Rhiza, reaching cost parity with commodity beef.
Rhiza is said to boast a meaty texture and a unique nutritional profile; it provides more protein than eggs, outshines beef in terms of iron and zinc, offers more fiber than oats, and has more potassium than bananas. It is also naturally allergen-friendly and free from cholesterol, saturated fat, and trans fats.
Cost-effective biomanufacturing
BMC claims it can produce mycoprotein from “seed to harvest” in just a few hours — a huge difference from the months or years required for raising livestock. However, biomanufacturing faces the cost-production challenge of making products as affordable as mass-produced meat.
According to BMC, its R&D team has focused on optimizing the media (feedstock) and increasing mycelium yield in the last year to make its production process more effective, achieving a total cost reduction of over 30% at scale.
Moreover, by combining this media optimization with advancements in strain selection, breeding, and innovative fermentation methods, BMC says it has produced 68% more Rhiza in the same time frame compared to one year ago. Additionally, BMC says it has successfully demonstrated its ability to run its fermentation process in various modes, including batch, semi-continuous, and continuous, “a major breakthrough that offers tremendous versatility and efficiency for commercial production.”
Microbial farming to make meat
Founded in 2018 to produce sustainable and animal-free proteins, BMC has a team of more than 20 scientists, engineers, and chefs. To date, Better Meat has raised $9.6 million in funding.
Established as a B2B ingredients company, it offers Rhiza for manufacturers looking to create hybrid products or 100% animal-free alternatives to meat. To showcase the ingredient’s multiple applications, it has developed steaks, sliced turkey, foie gras, chicken cutlets, bacon, sausage, jerky, and beef Wellington (featured image).
Last year, BMC and the Israeli company Oshi (formerly Plantish) were awarded a $1M grant from the BIRD Foundation to develop mycoprotein-based salmon fillets. TIME magazine named it one of America’s top greentech companies this year.
Paul Shapiro, CEO of The Better Meat Co., shares, “To feed humanity without destroying the planet, rather than going big with animal farming, we must go small with microbial farming, and we’ve proven we can cost-effectively do just that.”
The Better Meat Co. is a founding Fungi Protein Association (FPA) member.
