A mycelium-based future with Infinite Roots 

Listen to our podcast with mycelium-based start-up, Infinite Roots, on their roadmap to alternative protein success

Within the world of alternative proteins, one category is rising up as a solution to many of the industry’s hurdles. A protein source that contains all essential amino acids, that’s high in fibre and low in saturated fat, that grows extremely efficiently and requires minimal processing. A protein source that doesn’t come from the kingdom of animals, or plants. 

Enter mycelium, the root-like structures of fungi. Excitingly, mycelium has a host of promising qualities that make it an ideal alternative protein source. Plant-based meat is often criticised for its ‘high levels of processing’ and the use of fat additives to effectively mimic animal meat. 

Mycelium, by contrast, has a natural fibrous network that closely resembles the muscle fibres of animal meat, and can be grown into whole cuts of meat. It also retains moisture well, providing it with a natural meat-like juiciness.

Plus, mycelium can be grown extremely efficiently – whilst animal proteins may take more than a year to grow from farmed animals, mycelium products can be grown in less than a week. Moreover, mycelium, grown via biomass fermentation in large fermenters, uses a tiny fraction of the emissions, land use, and water use of animal meat, and even beats plant-based meat by most environmental metrics. And if that wasn’t enough, it also naturally contains a savoury umami flavour, which is a key characteristic of cooked meats.    

Fungi business: a podcast with Philip Tigges

A host of start-ups have arisen in recent years to pursue mycelium-based foods that satiate our demand for animal products. One company, is the newly rebranded Infinite Roots, formerly MushLabs. Having recently secured a staggering 58 million USD in Series B funding (the largest investment in mycelium technologies in Europe!), Infinite Roots is poised to revolutionise the future of sustainable food production.

Recently, the New Food Hub sat down with Infinite Roots’ Managing Director and CFO, Philip Tigges, to talk about his experiences of running a mycelium food-tech company and his aspirations for the future. 

Why was Infinite Roots founded? Where will the company’s mycelium-based products first launch? How do you market a mycelium-based product to consumers? To discover the answers to these questions and more, listen to the full podcast interview below.