Developing sustainable, nutritious, and delicious alternatives to meat whole-cuts, using biomass fermentation

随着越来越多的证据表明，集约化肉类生产**不可持续、不健康**，而且在大多数情况下**不道德**，植物性食品市场在过去十年中显著增长。但这些产品也受到了注重健康的消费者的密切关注，因为它们的成分清单很长，其中包括人造粘合剂和防腐剂。因此，消费者越来越多地怀疑这些**超加工**植物性产品，这些产品**不健康，缺乏令人信服的‘肉质’口感。**这个项目旨在改变这一点。我们将建立一个创新的发酵过程，使我们能够创造和推出**可持续、健康和美味的肉类全切替代品**的全新类别。我们将探索各种新技术，并确定最有效的发酵过程来培养和扩大真菌菌丝体。菌丝体将成为我们产品的基础，与传统的肉类和现有的植物性食品配料相比，菌丝体具有巨大的好处。早期的估计表明，我们的菌丝体牛排与其对应的肉类相比，需要的温室气体排放将减少**90%**，我们的最终价格可能与标准牛排大致相似。这表明了在减少英国牛肉消费导致的排放方面的巨大潜力，这与政府的净零目标一致。就现有的植物性产品而言，菌丝体要健康得多。菌丝体**富含纤维，脂肪和钠含量低，含有所有9种必需氨基酸。**我们的产品将是第一款真正从自然中生长出来的健康全切替代品，而不仅仅是标签上的“天然”。其次，菌丝体有一种**独特的**结构，类似于有纹理的肌肉的纤维，因此是一个很好的天然产品基础。我们的目标不是将粉状蛋白质(例如大豆)与人工粘合剂粘合在一起，而是从这种单一的成分中开发出牛排般的结构。通过这个项目，我们将专注于将这些理论优势变为现实。与一支经验丰富的科学家团队合作，包括3名生物技术博士，我们将获得发酵领域的**重要知识**。虽然这个项目最终是有风险的，因为建立一个新的食品类别可能非常具有挑战性，但我们**经验丰富的团队**将显著增加我们的成功机会。在这个项目之后，我们将扩大超现实和可持续的牛排和鸡胸肉的替代品。在我们随后的推出中，我们的目标是促进**可持续和环保**的生活方式，让人们不再需要在他们最喜欢的食物和保护环境和他们的健康之间做出选择。

As there is more and more evidence that intensive meat production is **unsustainable, unhealthy,** and most of the time **unethical**, the plant-based food market has significantly grown over the past decade. But these products are also coming under close scrutiny from health-conscious consumers due to their long list of ingredients, which include artificial binders and preservatives. As a result, consumers are increasingly suspicious of these **ultra-processed** plant-based products which are **unhealthy and lack a convincing 'meaty' texture.**This project aims to change that. We will build an innovative fermentation process that will allow us to create and launch a **whole new category of sustainable, healthy and gourmet alternatives to meat whole-cuts**. We will explore various novel technologies, and identify the most efficient fermentation process to grow and scale fungal mycelium.Mycelium, which will form the base of our products, has immense benefits compared to traditional meat and existing plant-based food ingredients.Early estimates show that our mycelium steak would require **90% less greenhouse gas emissions** compared to its meat counterpart, and that our end-price could be roughly similar to a standard steak. This demonstrates a significant potential in reducing the UK's emissions induced by beef consumption, in line with the government's net-zero objective.With regards to existing plant-based products, mycelium is much healthier. Mycelium is **packed with fibre, is low in fat and sodium, and contains all 9 essential amino acids.** Our products will be the first healthy whole-cut alternatives truly grown from nature, not just labelled 'natural'. Secondly, mycelium has a **unique** structure that resembles the fibres of textured muscle, so is a great natural product base. Instead of having to stick powdered proteins (e.g soy) with artificial binders, we aim to develop a steak-like structure from this single ingredient. Through this project, we will focus on making these theoretical benefits a reality.Working with a team of experienced scientists, including 3 PhDs in biotechnology, we will have access to **significant knowledge** in the fermentation field. Although this project is ultimately risky because establishing a new food category can be very challenging, our **experienced team** will significantly increase our chances of success.Following this project, we will scale-up ultra-realistic & sustainable alternatives to beef steak and chicken breasts. With our subsequent launch, we aim to promote a **sustainable and environmentally-conscious** lifestyle where people no longer have to choose between their favourite foods and preserving the environment and their health.