Periodic Reporting for period 1 - MEATLOW (Innovative patented dry fermentation technology for cost-effective andhighly nutritious production of hybrid mycelium-plant meat analogues)
Periodo di rendicontazione: 2024-07-01 al 2025-06-30
Consumers and policymakers are pressing for nutritious, low-impact alternatives to meat, yet today’s plant-based alternatives still carry high footprints and displease palates. The market currently offers few clean-label choices. Millow has developed a unique rapid, solid-state oat-mycelium fermentation process delivering meat-like texture in under 24 hours. The MEATLOW project will industrialise this breakthrough. The project aims to automate AI-controlled bioreactors, referred to as S-Units, raising capacity from 7 kg to deliver three 480 kg demonstration batches for market launch in 2026 . By 2030 a 5 760-t plant will serve a European meat-analogue market expanding at 24 % CAGR, generate €34 m yearly revenue and create 40 + skilled jobs. Substituting just 1 % of EU beef with MEATLOW would avoid 1.4 Mt CO2eq and save 700 Mm³ water; complete global replacement could spare over 5 Gt CO2 and 2.4 Tm³ water annually. Consumer-behaviour surveys, sensory panels and stakeholder mapping to refine product quality, price points and policy alignment will ensure rapid public uptake and dietary change. MEATLOW thus delivers healthy, sustainable protein while strengthening local bioeconomies and sustainably reinforcing EU food sovereignty.
During the initial 12 months of the MEATLOW project, lab-scale substrate preparation was translated into industrial practice: microwave disinfection of oats, particle-size reduction to 0.125–2 mm, moisture set to aw ≈ 0.95 and inline pH buffering. A large capacity “S-Unit” fermentor was designed and developed. CFD-guided ducting and 0.75 m³ s⁻¹ conditioned airflow extract up to 4.4 kW of metabolic heat, holding the bed within ±1 °C and O2 > 1 %. AI control loops harmonise gas flow, humidity and intermittent < 10 mT electromagnetic pulses to accelerate Rhizopus oligosporus germination and tighten fibre texture. Peak heat flux (20 W kg⁻¹), growth kinetics and moisture gradients were mapped, and the improved reactor geometry and function have been judged patent-worthy. In addition to this ongoing patent application, MEATLOW has resulted in another AI-based patent that was filed during the 11th month at the EPO. Post-fermentation and analytical protocols were also defined: precision milling, slow-freeze fibre alignment, steam/press forming into burgers, fillets, mince, and IQF or MAP packaging under < 0.5 % O2. Comprehensive AOAC/ISO assays (Kjeldahl protein, UHPLC-MS/MS amino acids, ICP-OES minerals, LAL endotoxin, multiplex mycotoxins) validated nutritional and safety targets, while an 86 % phytate reduction and sensory panels confirmed functional quality. These integrated workflows delivered reproducible pre-commercial batches and a data-backed supply strategy ready for implementation in the next phase of the project (month 13-24).
The results of this project de-risk a 480 kg day⁻¹ mycelium food production line and underpin a planned 5 760 t y⁻¹ commercial plant. Rapid, binder-free texturization also unlocks clean-label positioning. Validation of the S-Unit functionality will be performed for an upscaled capacity between month 13-24. Additional multi-country tastings may be required to fine-tune flavour profiles. Co-branding and licensing with large food manufacturers is expected to accelerate distribution and lower go-to-market risks. Continuous patent filing plus freedom-to-operate checks for AI control and reactor software and hardware will be critical to deliver legal exclusivity and operational certainty, while preventing costly litigation.