EU Authorizes First Mycelium Ingredient for Food Market
The Protein Brewery has gained approval from the European Union (EU) for its novel mycelium ingredient, Fermotein, making it the first mycelium-based product authorized in the EU market. The decision was unanimously supported by all 27 EU member states under the Novel Food regulation framework.
The company submitted its application to the European Commission in May 2020, culminating in this approval after a comprehensive evaluation process. Fermotein is a whole-food mycoprotein that combines protein, prebiotic fiber, micronutrients, and bioactives such as spermidine and ergothioneine. It is intended for use in various health and wellness food and beverage categories, including active nutrition, bakery, snacks, and dairy alternatives.
CEO Thijs Bosch of The Protein Brewery highlighted that the product’s initial market focus will be on active nutrition products. Bosch emphasized the product's appeal due to its complete protein profile and absence of allergens requiring labeling, which provides a clean nutritional profile.
The EU authorization grants The Protein Brewery exclusive rights to the scientific data and studies supporting Fermotein for five years, alongside the patented production process. Yvonne Dommels, the company's nutrition and regulatory affairs director, noted that this exclusivity offers a strategic advantage as the company scales its production and deepens its scientific research.
Fermotein has already been introduced to markets in the United States and Singapore, and The Protein Brewery is pursuing further authorizations in the UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. An approval decision in the UK is anticipated later this year.
To meet anticipated demand, The Protein Brewery is expanding its manufacturing capacity at its facility in Breda, the Netherlands. The company plans to produce 600 metric tonnes of Fermotein by 2027, with a target to exceed 2,000 metric tonnes by 2029. The production process benefits from the use of a fast-growing extremophile strain, which enables fermentation in non-sterile environments, reducing capital and operational costs.
The company is making significant capital investments to support this capacity expansion, with the workforce at the Breda site also increasing to facilitate the scale-up.
