As consumer demand for meatless alternatives grows, companies are responding with innovative products that do not require livestock or land. However, plants are not the only substitutes that researchers are investigating as a potential meatless Monday dinner option. Fungi-based meat is one of the new alternatives that more companies are pursuing.
More Than Mushrooms
Grilled Portobello mushroom steaks have been on vegan menus for years, but the new fungi-based meat goes beyond putting a cap mushroom on a bun. Fungi-based meat is cultivated from fungal tissues to mimic the taste and texture of real meat. It is not supposed to look or taste like mushrooms. Created in laboratories, fungi-based meat relies on the mycelium, which is a network of fine filaments that look like threads, for its structure.
Innomy, a startup in Spain, is using fungal tissue cultures to create complex structures that replicate the fibrous and tender consistency of meat. The company explains that filamentous fungi have structures that are similar to the muscles of animals. They are able to modify the shape, color and flavor of the filamentous structures in mycelial matrices to make products that taste like meat.
Innomy grows its filamentous fungi on grains for six weeks. Not only is the fungi-based meat faster to produce, but it also has additional benefits, including antioxidants and being cholesterol-free. The company plans to launch its products in Spain in 2022 and expand into other areas in the future.
A Steak Alternative
Meati, a brand that is part of Emergy Foods in Colorado, is also focusing on fungi-based meat. It grows mycelium in tanks and feeds it nutrients like sugar to stimulate growth. Then, the mycelium creates a matrix that resembles the structure of meat. The company has tested its fungi-based steak in several restaurants.
Emergy Foods shares that its fungi-based meat uses 2% of the energy, land and water compared to traditional agriculture practices. In addition, the protein it creates is highly nutritious and non-allergenic. Its fungi-based meat has fiber, B vitamins, iron and zinc.
Fungi-Based vs. Plant-Based
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) classifies fungi-based foods under the same category as plant-based foods. However, Innomy and Emergy Foods believe that fungi-based meat is superior to plant-based products because it has more nutrients and fewer ingredients. In addition, the structure of some plant-based meat cannot be compared to fungi-based meat’s filaments and matrix.
Convincing consumers to choose fungi-based meat over the plant-based versions may be a challenge, especially considering the FDA’s classification. Overall, concerns about the environmental impact and costs of traditional agriculture will continue to boost both the fungi-based and plant-based meat markets. Consumers will have even more options for meatless Monday in the future.