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The Spoon

Daily news and analysis about the food tech revolution

MycoTechnology

We Tried Goodside Foods Meatless Crumbles Made by MycoTechnologies Mushroom Fermentation Technology

Having gone to numerous CES shows, I’ve developed a few survival strategies for the big tech conference: Bring hand sanitizer, wear comfortable shoes, and eat food whenever you get a chance.

While that last rule is mostly because food lines at CES are usually insanely long, as of late, it also applies whenever a company introduces a new plant-based food. And this year, three years after Impossible Foods debuted their second-generation plant-based burger at CES, we had a chance to try a new alt-meat in the form of Goodside Foods meatless crumbles.

Goodside Foods crumbles, a texturized pea and rice protein blend fermented by mycelia, debuted last week at CES 2022. The product is the first under MycoTechnology’s new consumer-facing brand. According to the company, Myco’s natural fermentation process makes their plant protein easier to digest and removes any off notes from plant-based meat alternatives. Interestingly, the product is packaged in a dry, shelf-stable form that is activated by water or broth. Once activated, the crumbles can be served in meat-based products such as pasta sauces or chili.

I decided to drop by the booth and give Goodsides crumbles a try. The company was serving up chili made with the new crumbles, the other usual chili fixings, and a plant-based cheese made by the company’s technology.

How’d it taste? Pretty darn good. I’ve tried both Impossible and Beyond ground beef alternatives in chili and pasta, and the Goodside Foods’ crumbles were on par with both of these products.

What I didn’t do was try the crumbles on their own in, say, a hamburger patty, so I can’t give a verdict on its standalone flavor. However, since the crumbles essentially gave me the same experience in chili as, say, a ground beef, it tells me Goodside Foods has really nailed the mouthfeel of a ground meat product (which is where many of the early plant-based meat products I’ve tasted fall down).

I also have to say, I like the idea of a dry, shelf-stable alt meat product (that isn’t, well, spam). While most plant-based meats freeze well and many – like Impossible – have pretty long refrigerator shelf-lives, the reality is sometimes we all get busy. Like others, I have forgotten to put a package of alt-meat in the freezer before it spoiled. With a shelf-stable product like Goodside’s crumbles, you can load up your pantry and not have to worry about spoilage.

If you’d like to try Goodside Food’s crumbles, you can order them online.

And, if you’re curious to try more mushroom-powered food, you may not have to wait long. The company was also showing off a mushroom milk at CES (ed note: it tastes like Oatly), which Goodside hopes to start shipping in Q1 or Q2 of this year.

You can see the chili made with Goodside’s crumbles in the video below.

The Spoon Tries GoodSide Foods Meatless Crumbles at CES 2022

MycoTechnology Mushroom Tech Drives New Shelf Stable Alt-Protein

A few years ago, it might have seemed bizarre to anyone to have meatless crumbles, vegan cheese, or molecular alcohol alongside smart home and digital health tech on the show floor. But with the launch of Impossible Foods in 2020, CES has started to embrace a wider definition of food tech — one that goes beyond the smart kitchen. That’s why it’s no surprise that MycoTechnology — a company that created a mushroom technology that turns mycelia into different forms of alternate protein — has chosen this week at CES 2022 to launch its consumer-facing brand.

Goodside Foods is debuting shelf-stable meatless crumbles made from plant protein powered by fermentation. While there are a good deal of alt meat products derived from plant protein, Goodside’s meatless crumbles stand out because they only include three ingredients and they’ll last a lot longer and without refrigeration.

Powered by MycoTechnology’s mushroom fermentation platform, Goodside Foods meatless crumbles contain a pea and rice protein blend fermented by shitake mushroom roots or mycelia. The brand claims that the natural fermentation process makes their plant protein easier to digest.

In a written statement, Lisa Wetstone, Director, Innovation and Growth Strategy at MycoTechnology, Inc. commented, “Consumers deserve plant-based protein that is delicious, clean and nutritious. Our protein doesn’t contain anything extra or unnecessary – just three simple ingredients that can work for a thousand and more of your favorite recipes.”

MycoTechnology and Goodside Foods are at CES showing off their mushroom tech platform and the first consumer product to come from said tech — if you want to try shelf-stable meatless crumbles and learn more, visit booth #53753 in the Venetian (formerly Sands) Expo Hall A-C.

MycoTechnology Wins the Radicle Protein Challenge, Secures $1M

MycoTechnology, producers of fermented mushroom protein, won the $1M prize for receiving first place in the Radicle Protein Challenge this week. The Syngenta Group, a multinational agriculture company, and Radicle Growth, a venture capital firm specializing in food and agriculture startups, hosted this challenge. An additional $250K was awarded to runner up Blue Nalu, a cellular aquaculture company.

The competition hosted 150 applicants from all over the world and came to a head with a virtual event this week where each of the four finalists pitched. The two other finalists include Cell Farm and Trophic.

In addition to funding, MycoTechnology will have access to the Syngenta Group and Radicle Growth’s global agriculture and food networks. MycoTechnology’s mushroom fermentation technology is used to create products including ClearTaste, which blocks the bitter flavors of certain foods, and PureTaste, a mushroom-based protein.

At the beginning of 2020, the Good Food Institute predicted that one of the alternative protein trends of the year would be innovative ingredients and enhanced flavors, especially coming from fermented yeasts and mushroom varieties. Additionally, a recent report released on the Good Food Institute added fermentation as a third category (alongside cultured meat and plant-based proteins) in the alternative protein sector. Besides MycoTechnology, other companies have also taken advantage of using the umami-flavor and versatility of different mushrooms. Meati transforms mushroom mycelium into a juicy plant-based steak. Mushlabs and Ecovatives both use mushrooms to provide better texture for plant-based meat alternatives.

Prior to the competition, MycoTechnology raised $39M over the summer. This brings the company’s total funding to $121.6M.

MycoTechnology Raises $39M Series D for its Mushroom Fermentation Platform

MycoTechnology, which transforms mycelia into functional ingredients like alternate protein, announced this week that it has raised a $39 million Series D round of funding. Food Navigator first reported the news and wrote that the round was co-led by Greenleaf Foods, SPC, S2G Ventures and Evolution Partners, with Tyson Ventures, Kellogg’s Eighteen94 Capital, and others participating. This brings the total amount raised by MycoTechnology to $121 million.

MycoTechnology’s mushroom fermentation platform is used to create a number of mycelia-based products. The company’s ClearTaste promises to act “as a shield for your tongue temporarily blocking bitter tastes from being perceived.” And its PureTaste is an alternative protein source derived from shiitake mushrooms.

Of note in MycoTechnology’s investor list are Tyson and Kellogg, two big names in BIG FOOD. Tyson was already an existing investor in MycoTechnology, but participation from both household names futher illustrates how alternative protein is catching on with the traditional food companies.

Mushrooms as a vehicle for alternative proteins are totally hot right now. Ecovative is using mycelium to give plant-based meats better texture. Prime Roots uses fermented myco-protein to make things like fake bacon (fakon?). And Emergy Foods is making whole cuts of “meat” out of fermented fungi.

As we’ve written before, there are a lot of benefits to this fungi-forward approach to creating alternate proteins. In addition to its ability to recreate meat, it has the same protein profile of traditional meat. Fungi also has fiber, which animal-based meat does not have.

MycoTechnology’s funding comes at a good time as sales of plant-based products are skyrocketing (we know, mushrooms are fungi, not plants, but you get what we’re saying). Plant-based meat sales, in particular during this pandemic have surged as well.

With all this interest and the flexibility of fungi, we’ll probably be seeing more money flow into mycelia this year.