Replicating the taste, texture, and structure of conventional meat remains one of the alternative protein industry’s biggest technical challenges. As discussed in our previous article on the cellular agriculture patent landscape, companies are exploring a range of technologies beyond conventional plant-based proteins to develop next-generation meat alternatives. One approach gaining attention is fungal fermentation, which uses mycelium to create whole-cut meat analogues.
Adamo Foods is a London-based foodtech and biotech startup developing whole-cut meat alternatives through a proprietary fungal fermentation process. Its flagship product is a clean-label mycelium steak made with just five ingredients. Led by founder and CEO Pierre Dupuis, the company is focused on scaling production and lowering costs, with the goal of making its products as affordable as traditional meat.
Securing investment to fund mycelium steak
Founded in 2021, Adamo Foods first received a Smart Grant from Innovate UK before securing its first venture capital investment from Beeches Group, a food and agriculture investment fund backed by the owners of Noble Foods. It later expanded its industry recognition by winning the 2022 SHAKE Climate Change competition, an initiative led by Rothamsted Research that supports promising innovations in sustainable food production.
The company’s progress continued in 2025 when it was selected for EIT Food’s RisingFoodStars programme, which supports high-potential agrifood technology scale-ups. Building on this momentum, Adamo Foods was named a Verified Scaleup in the 2026 RisingFoodStars cohort under the “Next Generation Proteins” category, highlighting its growing role in the alternative protein industry.
In 2026, the company secured a €10 million (US$11.7 million) grant from the European Union’s Horizon Europe programme. The funding will support the three-year MycoStruct project, which aims to commercialize and scale the production of whole-cut mycelium meat by utilizing industry byproducts as feedstock. Adamo Foods is preparing to launch its whole-cut mycelium steak in the UK foodservice market in 2027, followed by expansion into the European Union.
From laboratory research to pilot production
Adamo Foods has collaborated with the University of Nottingham to improve the texture and nutritional value of its mycelium-based meat. The partnership has focused on refining the company’s fermentation process to produce whole-cut steaks with a muscle-like structure while enhancing key nutrients.
Alongside these research efforts, the company has expanded its manufacturing capabilities. According to the company’s announcements, Adamo Foods has increased production capacity, lowered production costs, established its first commercial steak production process, and opened a pilot manufacturing facility in Nottingham, to support scale-up ahead of commercialization.
The IP behind Adamo Foods’ alternative meat
Adamo Foods distinguishes itself from many plant-based meat producers by creating whole-cut steaks with just five ingredients. Instead of relying on extrusion or binders to mimic meat, the company uses its proprietary fungal fermentation technology to naturally grow dense mycelium fibers that closely replicate the texture and structure of animal muscle, resulting in a clean-label product with minimal processing.
The company’s triple-patented fermentation technology, can grow a full batch of protein in just one day, compared with the years required to produce beef. According to Adamo Foods, its mycelium steak also offers a complete amino acid profile and a protein digestibility score of 0.99, exceeding beef’s reported score of 0.92. The production process also requires less land and produces about 93% fewer carbon emissions than conventional beef production.
From fungal fermentation to whole-cut meat
As of writing, Adamo Foods’ patent portfolio is centered on protecting its proprietary fungal fermentation platform. Its key patent, GB2636838, covers a comprehensive method and specialized bioreactor system for producing mycelium biomass that can be processed into realistic whole-cut meat alternatives.
The patent describes a controlled fermentation process that grows mycelium, the root-like structure of fungi, into a dense, cohesive biomass. By carefully regulating factors such as temperature, pH, mixing speed, and oxygen levels, the process produces long, interconnected fibers that resemble animal muscle.
The resulting products are then combined with natural fats and seasonings before being pressed into molds. This pressing step aligns the fibers to mimic the grain and texture of whole-cut meat, eliminating the need for artificial binders or extensive processing. The patent also covers a specialized bioreactor system that automates fermentation and downstream processing, helping improve production efficiency and product consistency.
The patent, titled “Method and bioreactor system for producing mycelium biomass”, was filed on December 22, 2023, and was granted on April 8, 2026. The listed inventors include Adamo Foods CEO Louis Jan Kelley Dupuis Pierre; Michael Brett Paul, Mark Wood Nicholas, and Dallas Hannah. Legal Representation was provided by Potter Clarkson.