Scottish Biotechnology company 3F Bio has announced a large scale mycoprotein project called “Plenitude” along with nine other partners including Mosa Meats and Vivera. The factory is scheduled to open in 2021 in Ghent, Belgium, with a capacity of 16,000 metric tons annually, to feed the growing population.
The project received €17 million under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program. The ten partners involved are distributed across the EU: Alcogroup SA, International Flavors & Fragrances IFF BV, Wageningen University, Bridge 2 Food, Life Cycle Engineering Srl, Mosa Meat, Vivera, ABP and Lactips
Quorn debuted its mycoprotein product in the 1980’s based on a fungus that was found in England; since Quorn has the monopoly, 3F Bio will focus on supplying B2B ingredients on a large scale. The aim is to produce a million metric tons of protein by 2030, equating to a carbon emission reduction of over five million metric tons.
“We can see a wide range of applications, including the meat-alternative market, which has a strong growth of 15 percent CAGR. Equally, we want to see a reduction in the quantity of meat from livestock consumed – the easiest way is to use a meat hybrid where a percentage of meat in any product is replaced by sustainable protein,” 3F CEO Jim Laird said to FoodIngredientsFirst.
“The key challenges will be around integrating a food production facility with a biorefinery, as it is the first of its kind. The reason for the integration in the first place is that the biorefinery will provide economic benefits. Additionally, I’m not anxious about any technological risk as we have had the non-integrated elements programmed for decades,” Laird added.
