Meati Foods receives US patent for MushroomRoot (Neurospora crassa) Food Applications

Meati Foods, the creator of animal-free meats crafted from the company's unique, whole-food MushroomRoot, has announced today its receipt of a patent on a composition of matter containing Neurospora crassa, commercially known as MushroomRoot.

In collaboration with PIPA, Meati also completed a swift, AI-driven study on MushroomRoot’s health benefits. The month-long research project, which would have conventionally taken years, identified a range of important health benefits enabled by MushroomRoot’s extraordinary whole food nutrient density, including addressing prevalent nutritional deficiencies and enhancing cardiovascular health. An additional set of rare compounds was identified that could yield even more pointed health benefits.

“The patent is a culmination of our years-long journey to have our foundational work with MushroomRoot and its wide-ranging food applications acknowledged and protected,” commented Dr Justin Whiteley, Co-founder & Chief Science Officer, Meati. “Receiving our patent just after our AI initiative highlighted MushroomRoot’s significant potential for consumer health benefits is truly remarkable, as they together validate our long-term vision of creating not only new food categories but making existing foods more nutritious. The applications of MushroomRoot are truly limitless, and we’re in the driver’s seat with a mission to increase its consumption in service of healthier people and a healthier planet.”

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issued US Patent No. 11,751,596 to Meati Foods on 12 September 2023, ensuring exclusivity over Meati’s N. crassa-based inventions until 2039. Meati has showcased MushroomRoot’s versatility as a superior, malleable ingredient with limitless application in products like whole-cut steaks, ground meats, seafood, powders and shelf-stable foods. Meati’s first product line, Eat Meati steaks and cutlets, has established leadership in the animal-free meat set across retailers including Whole Foods Market, Sprouts Farmers Market, Fresh Thyme and Meijer.

PIPA's LEAP tool for predictive data analytics identified 14 key compounds in MushroomRoot that can work together or alone to help consumers enjoy better health by addressing gaps in achieving optimal nutrition. These gaps occur when these compounds – all essential dietary nutrients vital for maintaining good health – are consumed in amounts lower than those required for optimal health and performance. LEAP also identified cardiovascular health as the top health opportunity that could be improved by regular consumption of MushroomRoot. Heart disease continues to be the top cause of death for most racial and ethnic groups in the United States, with about one in every five deaths attributable to heart disease, signaling the need for average diets to better address the cardiovascular system’s needs.

Furthermore, LEAP identified particularly rare compounds in MushroomRoot with very specific potential health benefits. Meati's immediate focus will be to translate the clear health benefits into consumer-friendly health claims and deepening the scientific understanding of MushroomRoot’s potential health benefits. Already recognized for its complete protein (PDCAAS 1.0), Meati's nutrient-rich composition hints at benefits across several common and impactful consumer health needs and opportunities.

“PIPA’s findings in this initial research using AI greatly accelerates our understanding of the wide range of public health benefits possible from regular consumption of mycelium as a whole food,” added Dr Roberta Holt, a member of the UC Davis Department of Nutrition as well as Meati’s Science Advisory Board. “The unexpected discovery of additional potentially beneficial compounds that are quite rare further emphasizes the importance of integrating AI into research to accelerate our scientific understanding of the complexity of whole food products like Meati, and their potential role in human health.”