Innovate UK award to School of Life Sciences spin-out company

Myconeos Ltd awarded Innovate UK grant

The School would like to congratulate Prof Paul Dyer and the spin-out company Myconeos Ltd from the School of Life Sciences in their award of a major new Innovate UK grant. The £400k project to Myconeos Ltd will allow it to deliver new Penicillium strains optimised for mould-ripened plant-based cheese manufacturing. 

Existing commercial Penicillium strains optimised for dairy milk frequently give poor results on plant-based substrates, producing high levels of mycotoxins, driven by the relatively high carbohydrate content of plant-based substrates (as compared to dairy milk). This limits the quality and variety of vegan cheeses available. This is an unmet need that Myconeos with its pioneering natural breeding technology will address. These strains will exhibit targeted cellulase and amylase activity (for plant and starch-based substrates) and protease activity (for nut-based substrates) to create higher-quality mould ripened vegan cheeses. The project outputs create an unparalleled opportunity for Myconeos Ltd to expand the mould ripened plant-based  cheese manufacturing industry.