Using biotechnology to create the next generation of sustainable foods from the roots of mushrooms

Project Information

Mushlabs

Grant agreement ID: 190118690

DOI

10.3030/190118690

Project closed

EC signature date 27 October 2022

Start date 1 November 2022

End date 31 October 2024

Funded under

• The European Innovation Council (EIC)

Total cost

€ 3 467 500,00

EU contribution

€ 2 426 375,00

Coordinated by

MUSHLABS GMBH
Germany

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - Mushlabs (Using biotechnology to create the next generation of sustainable foods from the roots of mushrooms)

Reporting period: 2023-11-01 to 2024-10-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Our food system is broken. The food production today is producing 26% of greenhouse gas emissions, while inducing water scarcity and the loss of biodiversity. Simultaneously, this food system leaves 800 Million people hungry even though one-third of the food produced in the world for human consumption gets wasted every year (FAO).
As demand for meat-substitutes is growing (€38.2 bn, 36% CAGR by 2025 - EY report), plant-based proteins are increasingly seen as a sustainable alternative. While more sustainable than meat, they still have a sizable environmental footprint (highly processed) and perpetuate the agricultural practices (monocropping, pesticides and fertilizers) of the meat industry. Moreover, there is still a disconnect in texture and taste profiles compared to meat.
Mushlabs is a biotech start-up on a mission to disrupt the global food system. We produce a new generation of sustainable products with the current focus on meat replacement. We leverage our patented liquid fermentation technology to grow mycelia, the ‘roots’ of mushrooms, feeding them sidestreams from the agri-food industry. This leads to a highly circular process that saves land, water, and CO2 emissions while at the same time providing a healthy diet.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

For sidestreams optimized conditions for extraction of brewers spend grain were finalized in terms of sugar recovery, maximized biomass yield and minimum energy consumption. Extracts and mycelium grown on extracts were assessed as safe for human consumption. For fermentation Infinite Roots can produce in-house as registered food production facilities or with CMO’s that were onboarded along the whole value chain. The whole-cut based on a second mushroom strain, was integrated into 4 cooking concepts and a concept test for was performed with the Korean partner Pulmuone resulting in overall excellent results from end customers. Also, we could show that the whole-cut can be industrially scaled-up. Lastly, in the Data Science work package, microscale fermentation was successfully automated, reducing human operation. Furthermore, a Data Science platform was created that makes AI insights generally available.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

For sidestreams optimized conditions for extraction of brewers spend grain allowed for 92% sugar recovery, 16x increaased biomass yield and 20% energy reduction.
For fermentation Infinite Roots tripled the biomass yield resulting in a cost reduction of over 60%.
Out of 4,000 people in a concept test for the whole-cut 81% rated positive for likeability, 83% for distinctiveness, 74% for necessity and 79% had a positive purchase intention.
Lastly, in the Data Science work package, microscale fermentation was successfully automated, reducing human operation by 50%.