ENOUGH and Peace of Meat partner to improve meat alternatives with cultured fat and fermented fungi mycoprotein
Dutch foodtech company ENOUGH has teamed up with Peace of Meat, the Belgian subsidiary of Israeli cultured meat start-up MeaTech, to combine cultivated fat biomass and fermented fungi mycoprotein to add a meaty mouthfeel to ENOUGH’s mushroom-based products.
The collaborative project will support ENOUGH’s entry to the semi-finals of the XPRIZE Feed the Next Billion, a $15 million prize competition which is challenging teams to produce whole-cut meat alternatives including plant-based or cruelty-free fish fillets or chicken breast.
Peace of Meat’s research around cultured chicken fat will be used to improve the taste and texture to ENOUGH’s mycoprotein, ABUNDA, which is made from fungi and is fermented with renewable sugar feedstocks in a similar way to how beer is made.
The mycoprotein contains essential amino acids, a high amount of dietary fibre, and can be used to make alternative meat, seafood and dairy, says ENOUGH.
Andrew Beasley Commercial Director of ENOUGH, said: “We embrace that the future of sustainable protein will include solutions based on plant, fermentation and cell cultivated technologies and are delighted to combine biomass fermentation and cultivated meat in collaboration with MeaTech’s Belgian subsidiary, Peace of Meat.“
Earlier this year, MeaTech announced Peace of Meat was constructing a 12,530 square-feet pilot plant and R&D site in Belgium to advance the development of its cultivated bird fat and to prepare the company for entry onto the market.
Both Peace of Meat and ENOUGH’s plants are located relatively close to one another, which should help to accelerate the collaborative venture.
Sample of Peace of Meat’s cultured chicken fat in jar. Image credit: MeaTech
Sample of Peace of Meat’s cultured chicken fat in jar. Image credit: MeaTech
Dirk von Heinrichshorst, CEO of Peace of Meat, said: “We are excited to be the first to combine cell cultivated ingredients with products using fungi and see a range of game-changing synergies in our collaboration with ENOUGH.”
“This collaboration has all the right ingredients to achieve our vision of using cultured fat biomass to create sustainable, hybrid products that offer consumers a more authentic and flavourful meat-like experience,” said Arik Kaufman, CEO of MeaTech.
While regulatory approval is still necessary before such products can go on the market, since the Dutch House of Representatives made cell-based meat sampling legal in March of this year, both companies are more optimistic about the future of their hybrid meat products.
Carlotte Lucas, Corporate Engagement Manager at the Good Food Institute Europe added: “It’s really exciting to see companies collaborating and recognising the potential of what can be achieved by combining fermentation and cultivation – approaches that offer complementary but unique strengths.
“Combining the fibrous texture of mycoprotein with cultivated fat should be a recipe for more closely replicating the flavour and mouthfeel of conventionally produced chicken, in a far more sustainable way.
“To meet global climate targets and prevent deforestation, we need to use every tool available to deliver sustainable options that taste as good as conventional meat, and are as convenient and affordable. Today’s announcement is a sign of a very bright future for sustainable proteins in Europe and we expect to see a lot more hybrid products in the future.”
A recent report from the Good Food Institute on fermentation revealed demand for alternative meat products produced in this way is on the rise, having already grown by nearly 50% between 2020 and 2021. It also predicts 10% of proteins will derive from non-animal sourced by 2035.
