Myceliated vegetable protein and food compositions comprising same

1. A method to produce a food composition, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a myceliated high-protein food product, comprising the steps of either:

(i) providing an aqueous medium comprising a high-protein material, wherein the aqueous medium comprises at least 60 (w/w) protein on a dry weight basis, wherein the medium comprises at least 50 g/L protein and wherein the high protein material is from a plant source comprising soy; inoculating the medium with a fungal culture wherein the fungal culture comprises Lentinula edodes, Agaricus spp., Pleurotus spp., Boletus spp., or Laetiporus spp, and culturing the medium to produce a myceliated high-protein food product, wherein the myceliated high-protein food product has reduced bitterness flavor and reduced beany aromas compared to the high-protein material that is not myceliated;

or,

(ii) providing a myceliated high-protein food product, wherein the myceliated high-protein food product is at least 60% (w/w) protein on a dry weight basis, wherein the myceliated high protein food product is derived from a plant source, wherein the plant source comprises soy, wherein the myceliated high-protein product is myceliated by an aqueous fungal culture comprising Lentinula edodes, Agaricus blazeii, Pleurotus spp., Boletus spp., or Laetiporus spp., in a medium comprising at least 50 g/L protein in liquid culture;

and wherein the myceliated high-protein food product has reduced bitterness flavor and reduced beany aroma compared to the high-protein material that is not myceliated;

(b) providing an edible material; and

(c) mixing the myceliated high protein food product ingredient and the edible material to form the food composition.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the Laetiporus spp. is Laetiporus sulfureus , wherein the Pleurotus spp. comprises Pleurotus ostreatus, Pleurotus salmoneostramineus ( Pleurotus djamor ), Pleurotus eryngii , or Pleurotus citrinopileatus , and wherein Boletus spp. comprises Boletus edulis and wherein Agaricus spp. comprises Agaricus blazeii, Agaricus bisporus, Agaricus campestris, Agaricus subrufescens, Agaricus brasiliensis or Agaricus silvaticus.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the high-protein material is at least 70% (w/w) protein on a dry weight basis and is a protein concentrate or protein isolate.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method comprises the culturing step (a)(i) and the culturing step is carried out until the dissolved oxygen in the media reaches between 80% and 90% of the starting dissolved oxygen and wherein the pH of the fungal culture has a change of less than 0.5 pH units during the processing step.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising a cooking step and an extrusion step using an extruder.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the edible material comprises a starch, a flour, a grain, a lipid, a colorant, a flavorant, an emulsifier, a sweetener, a vitamin, a mineral, a spice, a fiber, a protein, nutraceuticals, sterols, isoflavones, lignans, glucosamine, an herbal extract, xanthan, a gum, a hydrocolloid, a starch, a preservative, a legume product, a food particulate, or combinations thereof.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the food composition is selected from the group consisting of dairy alternative products, ready to mix beverages and beverage bases; extruded and extruded/puffed products; sheeted baked goods; meat analogs and extenders; baked goods and baking mixes; granola; and soups/soup bases.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method additionally comprises

(d) adding steam and/or water to the mixture;

(e) extruding the mixture under heat and pressure to form a textured plant-based protein product, wherein the edible material comprises an additional high protein material, and wherein the myceliated high-protein food ingredient is present at between about 5% and 90% on a dry weight basis compared with the edible material.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the method further comprises providing a starch or a fiber prior to the mixing step.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the reduced flavor is a beany flavor or a bitterness flavor and the reduced aroma is a beany aroma.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein the mixture further comprises a starch, a flour, a grain, a lipid, a colorant, a flavorant, an emulsifier, a sweetener, a vitamin, a mineral, a spice, a fiber, an enzyme, a protein powder, nutraceuticals, sterols, isoflavones, lignans, glucosamine, an herbal extract, xanthan, a gum, a hydrocolloid, a preservative, a legume product, a food particulate, or combinations thereof.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises:

(d) processing the food composition to form a reaction flavor composition, wherein the edible material is a reaction flavor ingredient capable of facilitating Maillard and/or Strecker reactions.

13. A food composition made by the method of claim 1 , wherein the food composition is selected from the group consisting of reaction flavors, dairy alternative products, ready to mix beverages and beverage bases, extruded and extruded/puffed products, sheeted baked goods; texturized plant-based protein products, baked goods and baking mixes, granola, and soups/soup bases.

14. A food composition for human consumption, comprising a mixture of (a) a myceliated high-protein food product, wherein the myceliated high-protein food product is at least 60% (w/w) protein on a dry weight basis, wherein the myceliated high protein food product is derived from a plant source comprising soy, wherein the myceliated high protein product is myceliated by a fungal culture comprising Lentinula edodes, Agaricus blazeii, Pleurotus spp., Boletus spp., or Laetiporus spp. in a media comprising at least 50 g/L protein, and wherein the myceliated high protein food product has reduced bitterness flavor and reduced beany aroma compared with a non-myceliated food product; and (b) an edible material.

15. The food composition of claim 14 , wherein the food composition is selected from the group consisting of reaction flavors, dairy alternative products, ready to mix beverages and beverage bases; extruded and extruded/puffed products; sheeted baked goods; texturized plant-based protein products; baked goods and baking mixes; granola; and soups/soup bases.

16. The food composition of claim 15 , wherein the edible material is a starch, a flour, a grain, a lipid, a colorant, a flavorant, an emulsifier, a sweetener, a vitamin, a mineral, a spice, a fiber, a protein, nutraceuticals, sterols, isoflavones, lignans, glucosamine, an herbal extract, xanthan, a gum, a hydrocolloid, a starch, a preservative, a legume product, a food particulate, or combinations thereof.

17. The food composition of claim 15 , wherein the food composition is an extruded or an extruded/puffed material.

18. The composition of claim 14 wherein the reduced flavor is a beany flavor or a bitterness flavor and the reduced aroma is a beany aroma.

19. A method to produce a textured plant-based meat analog or meat extender, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a myceliated high-protein food product and at least one additional high-protein material,

wherein the myceliated high-protein food product is at least 60% (w/w) protein on a dry weight basis, wherein the myceliated high-protein food product is derived from a plant source, wherein the plant source comprises soy, wherein the myceliated high-protein product is myceliated by an aqueous fungal culture comprising Lentinula edodes, Agaricus blazeii, Pleurotus spp., Boletus spp., or Laetiporus spp., in a media comprising at least 50 g/L protein in liquid culture, and wherein the myceliated high-protein food product has reduced bitter flavor and reduced beany aroma compared with a non-myceliated food product; and wherein the least one additional high-protein material comprises at least 50% protein on a dry weight basis,

(b) mixing the myceliated high-protein food product and additional high-protein material, wherein the myceliated high-protein food product is present at between about 5% and 90% on a dry weight basis compared with the additional high-protein material;

(c) adding steam and/or water to the mixture;

(d) extruding the mixture under heat and pressure to form the textured plant-based meat analog or meat extender.