NEW YORK, Dec 16 ― Soy, coconut and almond are commonly found options when it comes to plant-based yogurts. But at a time when Grand View Research estimates that the global vegan food market is expected to grow by 10.7 per cent annually by 2030, yogurt is the focus of a host of innovations designed to further diversify recipes and convince consumers to reduce their intake of animal proteins.
Mushroom yogurt is the latest concoction that’s caught the attention of the US media. Rest assured, there are no oyster mushrooms or porcini in the pot, nor does the recipe taste like button mushrooms. The ingredient actually replaces the cow’s milk normally used to make yogurt. This food innovation hails from a Chicago-based start-up called Nature’s Fynd, which developed the protein after conducting research for Nasa. The production process is quite surprising, since it is based on the fermentation of a fungal strain collected from the geysers of Yellowstone National Park in the USA. Specifically, scientists cultivate this fungus in a biomass-based liquid solution. In the same way that a bovine cell is fed nutrients to make lab-grown meat, the mushrooms are fed so as to produce proteins. Within a few days, the result is a mass of filaments that can be compared to muscle fibers. The result can then be conditioned in solid, powder or liquid form.
This is precisely the ingredient that the Nature’s Fynd brand ― named after the mushroom protein Fy ― uses in its food products. The ingredient was given the green light by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in June 2021. Backed by renowned business angels such as Bill Gates and former US vice-president Al Gore, as well as Amazon boss Jeff Bezos, the company first put its protein to the test in plant-based cheeses and sausage patties. Now, it’s making its way into yogurts, which the American retail giant Whole Foods (acquired by Amazon in 2017) will be stocking from January.
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Unsurprisingly, Nature’s Fynd’s sales arguments are largely environmental, including claims that growing this protein generates 94 per cent fewer greenhouse gases than raising beef. More broadly, these mushroom filaments are being seriously pursued by various brands as a replacement for animal proteins. Other companies, such as Meati Foods, have already developed cutlets from what is more commonly known as mycelium, while Myforest Foods has developed a “bacon” from the same substance, neither plant nor animal in origin. And this is just the beginning, according to various reports from research firms that have gauged the momentum of this up-and-coming market. For example, Straits Research estimates potential growth in the global mycelium market at 7.8 per cent a year by 2030, to reach US$5.21 billion by that time.
However, the environmental issue is not the only factor at play. Taste is also a key consideration. Of course, plant-based yogurt is nothing new. Recipes based on soy milk have been on the market for a long time. However, their flavour doesn’t appeal to all consumers. In France, a fresh meal delivery company may have found a solution. This involves a compromise, combining cow’s milk with a soy dessert recipe. FoodChéri, a meal delivery service for businesses, will be launching a yogurt called Mi-Mi in January. It is billed as a hybrid formula that provides more protein than a soy-based yogurt, but contains less fatty acids since the proportion of cow’s milk has been lowered. As such, this new product proposes a third way that could put an end to the binary offering typically separating animal-based foods on the one hand from plant-based foods on the other.
Last spring, a former R&D engineer at the Beyond Meat brand launched a new venture featuring hybrid alternatives. In fact, Paul’s Table products do contain some meat-based ingredients. To address the issue of the taste of plant-based alt meat products, this new approach actually uses collagen and fat to make the brand’s pulled pork, in particular, more flavourful. ― ETX Studio
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