Swedish food tech company Mycorena announced that it is ready to commercially launch its clean-label mushroom-based fat after successfully developing a full-scale process. The new fat ingredient will be released under the Mycolein brand name, Mycorena will join the mycoprotein brand, Promyc.
In 2021, Micorena announced the “world’s first” fungus-based fat solution, saying it could mimic the behavior and sensory qualities of animal fats to improve the flavor and structural properties of plant-based food products.
The first fungi-stabilized fat
“Recognizing the challenges our partner food companies faced in sourcing a stable fat ingredient, in 2021, we launched the first fungal-stabilized fat as a prototype product. And now, after nearly 1.5 years of development, we have successfully developed a full-scale process to manufacture the product and are all set to launch it commercially,” said Ramkumar Nair, founder and CEO of Micorena.
Micorena said it has worked for months with Slovenian plant-based whole-cut specialist Jusi Marbles and Dutch plant-based producer Dalko Foods (Hilton Food Group is a 50% shareholder) to further develop, test and improve mycoline fat in various foods. application
“We are incredibly grateful to our partner companies who have supported us with extensive validation and product development trials It is gratifying to hear that the addition of mycoline has enhanced the palatability and sensory offering of their products,” continued Ramkumar.
Unlimited applications
Micorena, which also developed a successful mycoprotein-based butter prototype, claims to have developed a patent-pending emulsifying technology that traps fat inside food and slowly releases it during cooking, thus enhancing flavor and texture.
Mycoline mimics animal fat but is completely animal-free. It adds juiciness and enhances flavor; According to Micorena, it improves the nutrient-score rating of animal and plant-based products. It contains only natural ingredients, making it a clean-label, low-fat alternative to traditional fats. Furthermore, mycoline is a source of fiber that offers 40% fat reduction compared to other fats – with 85% less saturated fat than coconut.
“The potential applications of this technology are limitless. While we initially focused on enhancing food products with fat solutions, this is just the beginning. Our ultimate goal is to use this technology to unlock new, sustainable solutions for food production,” said Sandra Zachrison, head of product innovation at Mikroena. said
The company announced that it will increase production of Mycoline, conduct larger customer trials and set up full-scale production to prepare the product for launch.