Unearthing the “mushroom root”: Meati Foods and PIPA use AI to decode mycelium’s full potential

Image credit: Meati Foods 

13 Jul 2023 --- As consumer demand for sustainable and clean label alternatives to animal products, Meati Foods is partnering with the AI innovators Process Integration & Predictive Analytics (PIPA) to unlock the hidden nutrients and product possibilities in the mushroom root system, its mycelium network.

Meati Foods, a producer of mycelium-based whole-food protein cuts, will also work in conjunction with its recently established Meati Science Advisory Board (MSAB) which includes experts in nutrition, health and protein from the University of California, Davis, US, to help interpret and incorporate the AI platforms’ findings.

“While Meati’s mushroom root has been consumed across cultures and geographies for years, from a research perspective, we’ve only scratched the surface of what it could do as a part of the human diet,” says Christina Ra, Meati’s VP of marketing communications.

“This research is in PIPA’s sweet spot of accelerating what’s possible at the intersection of food, nutrition and health,” says Eric Hamborg, chief commercial officer for PIPA. “We look forward to supporting Meati’s efforts to better understand how their unique star ingredient can benefit people’s health and improve nutrition now and in the future.”Meati Foods’s Eat Meati steak and cutlet analogs are available across the US. Image credit: Meat Foods

Rooting around for new applications
According to Ra, there is already much known about the health and nutrition benefits of mycelium. For instance, she spotlights recent research showing that mycelium may have positive effects on cholesterol, blood pressure and even the glycemic response, though she notes that more research is needed.

However, she holds that the exceptional part of this partnership is that there is no limit to the applications they might find.

“We’re condensing extensive research into a short period of time to help Meati unlock what could be possible,” Ra explains. “Once we have the data, we can create paths forward on new products. We cannot predict what the research will yield but we’re open-minded and excited to learn and come out with more defined possibilities.”

She further emphasizes the growing market demand for plant-based, high-quality and nutrient-rich products that can help consumers reduce the amount of animal meat they consume.

“Our research shows that a majority of self-identified carnivores would eat less animal meat if there were better options,” Ra reveals. “With taste being the most prioritized quality among all food purchases, second is nutrition – natural, rich nutrition with a clean ingredient deck is non-negotiable among a large group of consumers.”

To reach that growing market, she adds that the company recently launched its Eat Meati product line across the US at Sprouts Farmers Market, Miejer and Fresh Thyme stores, as well as several restaurants.

Recent discoveries
Ra highlights that the partnership has already yielded findings on the nutrient density of the company’s Classic Steak mycelium-based offering. These include a better understanding of the protein quality, revealing it to be a complete protein with all nine essential amino acids at ideal levels.PIPA’s AI platforms may help discover new applications and health benefits for mycelium.

The company highlights the product’s PDCAAS (protein digestibility corrected amino acid score) of 1.0 puts approaches that of eggs and milk and could be an option for people wanting to develop muscle mass. Additionally, the fiber content was found to be 29% of the daily recommended intake as was further revealed to be rich in beta-glucans, chitins and oligosaccharides.

Ra underscores that its product is low in phytates. Phytates are an anti-nutrient in plants that reduce the body’s ability to absorb vitamins and minerals that recently stirred controversy around the EAT-Lancet Commission’s diet for planetary health.

Ra further notes that the mycelium has zero trans fatty acids or saturated fats, no sugar and is a good source of folate, zinc and iron.

“Meati’s partnership with PIPA will accelerate a deeper scientific understanding of the mushroom root that will define opportunities to further explore,” Ra concludes.

By William Bradford Nichols

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