Plant-based meat producer Meati Foods has announced its receipt of a patent for its ‘MushroomRoot’ ingredient applications.

Meati, based in Colorado, US, crafts various animal-free meat products using its MushroomRoot ingredient as a basis.

The MushroomRoot ingredient is made up of a composition containing the Neurospora crassa fungus, offering a mycelium-based protein source that is combined with other whole food ingredients such as chickpea flour and oat fibre to develop Meati’s product portfolio.

Meati’s patent announcement follows its successful AI-driven study on MushroomRoot’s health benefits, in collaboration with AI company PIPA, launched earlier this year.

According to Meati, the month-long research project would have taken years if carried out conventionally. It identified a range of health benefits enabled by MushroomRoot’s whole food nutrient density, including addressing prevalent nutritional deficiencies and enhancing cardiovascular health.

Justin Whiteley, Meati’s co-founder and chief science officer, said: “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”.

He added: “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 United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issued the patent to Meati on 12 September, ensuring exclusivity over Meati’s MushroomRoot applications until 2039.

In addition to identifying 14 key compounds in MushroomRoot that can help to address nutritional deficiencies, Meati said the AI study with PIPA identified an additional set of rare compounds in MushroomRoot with “very specific potential health benefits”. The company said its immediate focus will be to translate these into consumer-friendly health claims.

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