China's First! New Generation Mycelium Protein Approved as Novel Food Ingredient—Does It Taste Like "Meat"?

On 5 month 27 day, the National Health Commission released an announcement regarding 16 "new three foods," including edible oil from peony seeds. Among the 7 newly approved food ingredients listed, one name stood out as particularly unusual:Mumia Biology Fusarium Protein MM-135。

It's not soy, it's not peas—it's made from microbes. It looks like meat and tastes like meat. This isChina's first fully self-developed, globally IP-protected next-generation mycelium protein。

For the past 41 years, this technology's direction was firmly controlled by Western companies. Yesterday, that格局 was broken, and we officially gained access to the mass consumer market.National Access Pass！

[China's 41-year gap has been filled.]

In 1985, the UK's Marlow Foods launched Quorn™, becoming the world's first commercialized mycoprotein brand. In the nearly four decades since, only three companies have successfully brought this technology to market: the UK's Marlow Foods, and the US-based Nature's Fynd and The Better Meat Co.

China has always been an onlooker. The core reason is thatKey technologies for Fusarium proteins are locked behind layers of patents.To enter this space, you must either pay exorbitant licensing fees or start from scratch by independently screening strains. The latter is as difficult as finding a needle in a haystack: identifying a single strain among hundreds of thousands that grows quickly, has high protein content, closely mimics animal muscle in taste, and is absolutely safe.

Moni Biotech chose the most challenging path. Its parent company, MycoBank, maintains a vast microbial strain collection with over36K plantsAfter years of R&D, our team independently screened an outstanding strain of Fusarium compactum from this treasure trove, named MM-135. Momi Bio has already filed patents around it.10+ patented inventionsand established a global presence in key markets including the U.S., EU, and Japan via the PCT route. From then on, Western companies could no longer use patents to stifle China's innovation potential in this field.

How hard is it to get a "national-level pass"?

In China, a novel microbial protein must undergo comprehensive safety reviews organized by the National Health Commission to become a legally recognized food ingredient. This includes rigorous testing for toxicology, allergenicity, anti-nutritional factors, and verification of production process stability. Any issue in these details can lead to indefinite delays. MM-135, however, not only passed domestic reviews in one go but also achieved something extremely rare in the industry—It already obtained the US FDA GRAS certification in 12 of 2024.。

This means it is already recognized by experts as "safe for use" in the U.S. market. A Chinese-origin mycoprotein has first broken into the U.S., then returned to secure its place in China—an exceptionally rare achievement in the alternative protein industry.

Momy Bio chose to tackle the U.S. market first because FDA GRAS certification requires companies to organize expert evaluations, submit comprehensive safety data, and undergo the world's most rigorous technical review. By holding ourselves to international standards, we pushed every step of our process to perfection, resulting inMM-135 becomes China's first domestic mycoprotein to achieve dual approval from both the U.S. GRAS program and China's New Food Raw Materials regulations.。

Two-way verification, double-layer protection—the ultimate endorsement of product security and quality.

What makes "eating meat" a game-changer?

Fundamental structural differences between microbial protein and traditional plant proteinsTraditional plant-based meats rely on high-moisture extrusion or added gums to mimic the fibrous texture of animal muscle, but the final product often falls short in chewiness and fiber structure compared to real meat.

The structural advantage of Fusarium protein MM-135 is "innate."During fermentation, mycelium naturally grows into a 3D network structure. Its fiber diameter and length closely resemble animal skeletal muscle fibers, providing a meat-like microstructure without complex post-processing.

In terms of sustainability,Compared to conventional beef, MM-135 reduces land use by approximately 90%, cuts greenhouse gas emissions by 94%, requires only 24 hours for fermentation, and is not limited by climate or geography. According to Boston Consulting Group forecasts, the global innovative protein market will reach $5 billion in 2035, with microbial fermentation proteins accounting for about one-fifth of that market.

Momi Biology and Guangzhou Shuangqiao's joint venture, "Moli Factory," is planning an annual capacity of 2 million tons. The first production line is now in the countdown to launch.

A Strategic Move Under the "Big Food Security" Perspective

The core of the "Big Food View" is that China's food security should not rely solely on arable land but must also harness forests, oceans, and microorganisms for calories and protein. Artificial protein, therefore, has been designated as a key technological direction in the "14th Five-Year Plan for Biological Economy."

The approval of MM-135 is not an isolated commercial victory; it marks China's first breakthrough in the field of microbial protein.End-to-end autonomy from seed strain to dining table, isA truly original product, born entirely in China—from the microbial strains and production processes to patents and commercialization.。

A newly approved novel food ingredient may seem distant to the average consumer, but it will soon appear on supermarket shelves as an everyday product. Based on MM-135, MoMi Bio has developed over 50 application solutions: vegetarian chicken nuggets, high-protein energy bars, ready-to-eat soup bases, functional protein powders, and plant-based luncheon meat.

The first batch of products is expected to officially go into production in the first half of this year. With the release of economies of scale from the 2 million-ton production line, we are fully capable of offering prices lower than those of imported similar proteins.

MM-135's success proves a replicable industrialization path. Chinese companies can fully master the entire process: "autonomous strain screening → international safety certification → domestic regulatory approval → scaled production → market application development." This paves the way for dozens, even hundreds, of future domestically produced microbial protein ingredients.

A "microbial protein era" owned by China has hit the accelerator.

[ 2026 Yimao Bio-Manufacturing Industry Exhibition ]

The 2026 BIO-TECH Manufacturing Industry Expo will be held grandly in Shanghai from 8/27-28.This exhibition is organized by Yimao Medical. Invited guests will be present on-site, including:2000+Attendee,150+ Speaker,50+Premium exhibitors, featuring "Exhibitions - Products - Conferences - PartnershipsFour core modules focused on "breakthroughs in fundamental research and cross-sector industrialization," establishing a benchmark event for the entire bio-manufacturing value chain.