Innovative patented dry fermentation technology for cost-effective and highly nutritious production of hybrid mycelium-plant meat analogues

Introduction

In a public enquiry made by the European Commission, 80% of respondents were willing to reduce their meat intake to help reduce the emission of greenhouse gases (GHG), and 74% intended to change their diet to improve their health.

Current Issues with Meat Analogues

However, current meat analogues in the market are not a healthy alternative, since they are ultra-processed, full of binders and additives. Among their ingredients, we can find high amounts of sugars and sodium, maltodextrins, or soy isolate, which are not indicated for a healthy diet.

Environmental Concerns

In addition, these products are not ecological, as they are highly resource-demanding, mainly in terms of:

• Water consumption
• Wastewater generation
• Energy use

They also cause significant GHG emissions.

Consumer Rejection

On top of that, the existing meat analogues are rejected by consumers due to their off-taste and bad texture that do not resemble meat.

Millow's Innovative Solution

In response to this situation, Millow has developed to TRL6 a novel solid state dry fermentation production technology for mycelium-plant meat analogues. This highly scalable and cost-effective innovative process accelerates mycelium growth from the typical 3-7 days periods to less than 24 hours.

Benefits of the Technology

This process reduces:

• Required water input by 97%
• Energy use requirements by 67%
• CO2 footprint by 95% compared to benchmark methods based on liquid fermentation

The resulting products have a neutral taste and a pleasant texture that mimics meat attributes without the use of artificial binders. They are minimally processed, healthy, nutritional, and eco-friendly.

Project Goals

In the MEATLOW project, we aim to optimise and automate our innovative technology to reach TRL8 and commercial status. We plan to introduce our disruptive plant-fungi products in the EU meat substitute market by 2026.

Team Commitment

To achieve this, our highly skilled team of scientific, management, and marketing professionals is determined to lead this project to success.