Novozymes Believes Mycoprotein Is The Future of Sustainable Food and Is Now Asking For Partners To Join Its Journey

Can Mycoprotein Save Our Food System? Novozymes Is Betting On It. 

Novozymes, the largest enzyme and microbial technology provider based in Denmark, believes that mycoprotein could help shape the future of sustainable food. Now, it’s issuing an Innovation Call to invite startups, researchers, corporations and NGOs to join its journey to co-develop new ways to leverage fungi as a source of climate-resilient protein. 

It’s never been more clear that the world’s food system needs to change. Globally, food production accounts for a third of global emissions—and at the centre of it is animal protein. Livestock farming drives nearly a fifth of all GHGs, more than all transportation combined. That’s why Novozymes is betting on mycoprotein, which it believes is one of the most promising alternative protein solutions for a climate-resilient food system. 

Myco-protein Innovation Call

The Copenhagen-headquartered biotech has launched a new Myco-protein Innovation Call, a new open challenge asking startups, research centres, academic institutions, NGOs and companies to join in on developing new fungal mycelium proteins. 

Through this platform, Novozymes hopes to be able to forge business collaborations that could meaningfully scale up fungal-based solutions that could help meet the world’s rising protein demands in a healthy, sustainable way. 

“We are launching this global platform to help transform the future of food through the power of fungi and mycelium,” shared Amy Louise Byrick, executive vice president at Novozymes. “Transforming our global food systems at scale will require radical new ways of working, bringing together the most cutting-edge scientific and business expertise from across industries and sectors—and this is what the Myco-protein Innovation Call is all about.” 

The platform builds on the company’s $320 million investment in an advanced protein facility in Nebraska, where it hopes to bring on partners and collaborators to accelerate the development of novel mycoprotein products. 

‘We want to support the most promising innovations’ 

Sharing more about the innovation call, Byrick said that Novozymes, which has decades of experience in the fungal mycelium sector, can help “support the most promising innovations and ideas in the space of protein ingredients for food applications.” 

Fungi and mycelium-based protein ingredients can be used to create everything from plant-based bacon, to whole-cut meat alternatives, often dubbed as the “next frontier” in the alt-protein space. Some startups like Atlast Food Co. and Meati Foods are already doing this.

Other avenues that mycoprotein ingredients could take include upgrading traditional fermentation-based protein sources such as tempeh, or even be incorporated into alt-dairy products, such as yogurt and cream cheese. 

The challenge is already open for submissions, with selections taking place on an ongoing basis between November 2021 and January 2022, says the company. Collaborators who are chosen to join Novozymes will go onto co-design new fungi-powered proteins, as well as gain access to the firm’s vast network of R&D experts, lab facilities, potential investors and joint venture partnerships. 

Ultimately, Byrick says that the call is centred on “rethinking and advancing protein to help feed the world sustainably.” 

Rethink the Future of Food – HelloScience

All images courtesy of Novozymes.

This is a Green Queen Media Partner Post.