Public Funding for Myconeos Limited

_Penicillium_ fungi are used in mould-ripened dairy cheese production. Frequently used strains include _P. roqueforti_ and _P. camemberti_. These are typically commercial strains purchased from a select few dedicated strain manufacturers that service the global market or are historical strains that have been cultured by the dairy or cheesemakers themselves. Plant-based (vegan) cheese represents the fastest growing sector of the global cheese market. However, 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. There is an unmet need for optimised _Penicillium_ strains exhibiting improved and novel phenotypic traits to support the production of 'authentic' mould-ripened vegan cheesemaking. Myconeos are a UK SME exploiting IP developed with previous Innovate UK Smart funding. They have developed innovative GM-free methods for expanding genetic diversity in fungal strains. This is based on the discovery of a mechanism to induce sexual reproduction of 'asexual fungal strains', enabling natural breeding alongside established strain development techniques. Using a mixture of angel investment, private equity, and the previous Innovate UK Smart award, Myconeos have created entirely novel strains of _P. roqueforti, P. biforme,_ and _P. camemberti_. These have been proven to create innovative flavour and colour profiles for dairy cheese manufacturers and are being commercialised. Myconeos will now create novel _Penicillium_ strains optimised for plant-based cheesemaking. These strains will exhibit higher cellulase and amylase activity (for plant and starch-based substrates) and higher protease activity (for nut-based substrates) to create higher-quality vegan cheeses. The project outputs create an unparalleled opportunity to expand the UK's cheese manufacturing industry, and further support the UK's first cheesemaking fungal strain developer to create another unique market offering.

Myconeos has developed ground breaking technology to naturally breed new fungal strains. We have applied the technology to breed the first new penicillium roqueforti strains in the market for blue cheese application in forty years. These new strains have been selected through evaluation in UK style blue cheeses and consumer work in the UK. The four new UK commercial strains provide desired sensory attributes to attract new consumers into the category and address sensory profiles currently unobtainable with the established strains examples include a mild flavoured blue cheese without bitterness or a chalky mouthfeel and an intense blue cheese. The UK market only accounts for 5% of the blue cheese sales worldwide with the big opportunities being mainland Europe and north america. Three European countries account for the majority of production and sales and Myconeos is targetting Italy. We will explore the feasibility of producing new strains of fungi for the mould ripened cheese market in Italy and Europe with a focus on gorgonzola and dolcelatte. Manufacturing of these blue cheese requires significantly longer maturation times than Stiltons and other UK style blue cheeses. Thus new strains that have reduced growth rates and lower proteolysis maybe needed. Through engagement with potential partners in Italy, Myconeos will better understand the market needs and opportunities at both manufacturers and with consumers and develop a focussed research and development for the next generation fungal strains and also highlight those unmet needs that new strain development could potentially meet. Added value will be to look at SACCO and IGEA as a potential toll manufacturers and further sales and distribution partners for global sales.

Few strains of the fungus _Penicillium camemberti_ are available for commercial mould-ripened cheese production, despite the fact that there are known manufacturing/quality issues with those available. There is an unmet need for higher-quality _P. camemberti_ production strains, exhibiting improved and novel phenotypic traits for commercial cheese making and an opportunity to expand the UK's cheese manufacturing industry. Myconeos are a UK SME exploiting UKRI IP developed with the University of Nottingham, who have innovative proprietary methods for expanding genetic diversity in fungal strains. They have leveraged this knowledge to create entirely novel strains of _Penicillium roqueforti_, which are now being commercialised. These methods are based on natural breeding and established strain development techniques and are entirely GM free. Myconeos will now apply their proprietary techniques to induce sexual reproduction and strain improvement in _P. camemberti_ and its closely related ancestor _P. biforme_ (which is also adapted for cheese production) to create novel strains for commercial cheesemaking that: 1. Have a slower ripening time, improving the shelf-life of the cheese, and reducing waste. 2. Have unique colours to improve the 'visual appeal' of the cheese, whilst adding taste and texture. 3. Have altered lipase/protease enzymatic activity to improve flavour profile whilst eliminating bitter notes, with health benefits from reducing the requirement for additional salt to be added during the manufacturing process.