Swedish food tech company Mycorena has announced that it is ready to launch its clean-label fungi-based fat commercially after successfully developing a full-scale process. The new fat ingredient will be released under the brand name Mycolein, joining Mycorena’s mycoprotein brand, Promyc.
In 2021, Mycorena announced the “world’s first” fungi-based fat solution, saying it could mimic animal fat’s behaviour and sensory qualities to enhance plant-based food products’ taste and structural properties.
The first fungi-stabilised fat
“Recognising the challenges faced by our partner food companies in sourcing a stable fat ingredient, in 2021, we launched the first fungi-stabilised fat as a prototype product. And now, after nearly 1.5 years of development, we have successfully created a full-scale process for producing the product and are fully prepared to launch it commercially,” said Ramkumar Nair, founder & CEO of Mycorena.

Mycorena says it has spent several months collaborating with Slovenian plant-based whole cut expert Juicy Marbles to further develop, test, and improve its Mycolein fat in various food applications. Finnish companies Meeat Food Tech, behind the plant-based brand Muu, and Rebl Eats, behind the next-generation convenience foods, have also collaborated with Mycorena.
“We are incredibly grateful to our partner companies who have supported us with extensive verification and product development trials. It’s satisfying to hear that the addition of Mycolein has elevated their products’ palatability and sensory offerings,” Ramkumar continued.
Limitless applications
Mycorena, which has also created a successful mycoprotein-based butter prototype, claims to have developed a patent-pending emulsifying technology that entraps the fat inside foods and gradually releases it when cooked, thus enhancing flavor and texture.

Mycolein mimics animal fat but is completely animal-free. It adds juiciness and enhances flavours; according to Mycorena, it improves the Nutri-score rating of animal and plant-based products. It contains only natural ingredients, making it a clean-label, low-fat alternative to traditional fats. Moreover, Mycolein is a source of fibre that offers a 40% fat reduction compared to other fats — it contains 85% less saturated fat than coconut.
“The potential applications of this technology are limitless. While we initially focused on enhancing food products through fat solutions, this is only the beginning. Our ultimate goal is to leverage this technology to unlock new, sustainable solutions for food manufacturing,” said Sandra Zachrisson, head of product innovation at Mycorena.
The company announced it will increase the production of Mycolein, run larger customer trials, and set up full-scale manufacturing to get the product ready for launch.