Every so often in food innovation, an ingredient quietly shifts from “promising experiment” to “structural building block of the food system.” Mycelium is right at that tipping point. Food innovators Maxime Willems and Emilie Decoutere of R&D agency Nursh see clear opportunities for foodservice.
Mycelium is the underground root network of mushrooms. It is arguably the most telling example of an ingredient moving decisively from niche to mainstream. Not as a replacement for what we already know, but as a redefinition of what is possible. What makes it remarkable is that this natural ingredient does not grow on agricultural land — it is brewed in controlled fermentation systems.
From fungal network to nutritional platform
Rather than viewing mycelium as a biological curiosity, at Nursh we treat it as a new protein, a new functional ingredient and a sustainable production system all at once. What changes with that framing is fundamental: the focus shifts from growing fungi to designing sustainable plant-based proteins, which in turn opens up entirely new applications.
The idea of protein brewing is no longer future talk — it is a technological reality. In bioreactors, mycelium is fed with sugars and nutrient streams, after which it develops into a functional protein with interesting properties: bite, umami, fibrous structure and emulsification behaviour.
Two cases from the lab
Case 1: Hybrid burgers
One of the most tangible applications of this technology is the development of a hybrid burger in which 40% of the traditional meat is replaced by other protein sources, including 25% mycelium. The starting point was to keep meat as the carrier of flavour and structure, and to use mycelium as a functional enhancer.
The result is a product that:
- retains the juiciness and umami of meat
- significantly reduces the ecological footprint per portion
For foodservice, this is particularly relevant because it fits the reality of the professional kitchen: chefs do not need to fundamentally change their preparation, but they gain a hybrid ingredient that offers flexibility and differentiation.
Case 2: Mycelium ice cream
In a second collaboration, with Biolynx and POM Oost-Vlaanderen, we explored a completely different category: ice cream. At first glance, mycelium may seem like a less obvious fit. Yet in frozen desserts it turns out to be especially interesting as a functional, structure-building ingredient.
In plant-based ice cream recipes, texture is often the biggest challenge: creaminess, melting behaviour and stability have to be built up without dairy fats or milk proteins. Mycelium offers a new route here. It contributes to body, mouthfeel and stability without the typical “plant-based” off-notes that still mark many alternatives. The result is not an imitation of dairy ice cream, but a new interpretation of creaminess.
The role of koji: from tradition to scalability
It is worth placing this mycelium evolution in a broader context. Fermentation as a technology is, of course, nothing new. Koji, a fungal culture (Aspergillus sp.) used for centuries in miso, soy sauce and sake, paved the way. What we are seeing now is a shift from artisanal application to industrial scalability, towards retail and foodservice. Where koji preparation was largely traditional and process-intensive, new mycelium platforms rely on controlled fermentation environments, standardised substrates and reproducible production chains. That is what makes mycelium a broadly applicable ingredient.
Implications for foodservice
For the foodservice sector, this is a significant moment. Three shifts stand out:
- Hybrid becomes the norm: not fully plant-based or fully animal, but combinations that optimise for taste, price and impact.
- Ingredients become modular: chefs and product developers increasingly work with functional building blocks rather than finished products.
- Fermentation becomes infrastructure: no longer a niche technique, but a standard production method alongside agriculture and processing.
Mycelium is not a hype, not a trending ingredient that will quietly disappear in a year. It is an example of how food production itself is changing — from sunlight and land to fermentation and precision biology. Whether it sits in a hybrid burger or a plant-based dessert, the underlying shift is the same: we are starting not just to harvest proteins from nature, but to actively brew them.