Myconeos
Established in 2018, Myconeos Ltd is a start-up company founded on fungal microbiological research from the University of Nottingham. Using ground-breaking techniques, the company is focused on developing new strains of Penicillium Roqueforti with novel characteristics for mould-ripened cheese production. Four initial candidate strains (currently in the advance stages of final production) have already been developed for targeted use in the dairy industry. In addition, the company have a formidable expertise and ability to develop future novel strains for the wider food manufacturing base.
This project has been immensely helpful for Myconeos as a small start-up business. The research Alice Jones put in was incredibly thorough and well thought out, enabling us to hit the ground running with the physical cheesemaking process. This research will likely save hundreds of hours, as well as labour/material costs, by enabling Myconeos to screen our large library of newly bred strains in a fast and efficient way that minimises waste. The facilities we were able to access at Sutton Bonington were great and gave us an idea of how we can replicate the cheesemaking at our own facility.
Myconeos (2020)
Project brief
- Identifying a suitable small-scale cheese trial facility, allowing final candidate strain testing in the targeted end product.
- Supporting the identification of potentially suited commercial mould-ripened cheese collaborators.
- Advise on technical accreditation support services.
- Advise on social media marketing support agencies.
The response
- A number of small-scale cheese trial companies were researched and refined based on location, services and facilities offered. A short-list was submitted to Myconeos for consideration, along with liaising support if required.
- A series of cheese manufacturers at a local and national level were researched. Consideration was based on mould-ripened cheese production, innovative company nature and industry citing. A short-list was submitted to Myconeos in addition to further liaising support if required.
- Advice and relevant contacts regarding technical accreditation training and insight were given to the company, along with further follow-up support if required.
- Recommended local social media support agencies and contacts were provided to the company, along with further follow-up support if required.
Benefit to the business
This project has supported the company to progress with end product trials in a suitable manufacturing environment, along with well-founded suggestions for potential on-going blue cheese manufacturing collaborations. Furthermore, specific contacts, allowing Myconeos to access invaluable insight to the wider dairy industry were recommended. Finally, the project assisted in enabling Myconeos to access well-suited technical training support and social media marketing guidance.
Myconeos (2024)
Project brief
- Design, test and refine a miniature (benchscale) cheesemaking process, suggesting a recipe, processing equipment, conditions and production steps required.
- Teach the process to company representatives to allow them to implement the process in their own food grade facility.
The response
- A literature search was carried out on the key formulation, processing steps and conditions required to make semi-hard blue cheeses. This review was documented in a report.
- A practical cheesemaking formulation and process at small scale was suggested, taking in to account the need to create a cheese of a certain specification and quality and in a safe manner, which would allow samples to be tasted.
- A search was made for small-scale cheesemaking equipment, appropriate suppliers of equipment and ingredients suggested (with implementation at the company kept in mind).
- A collaborative day was run at the University’s Food Processing Facility, to make some cheese batches at a small scale, with The Food Innovation Centre advising on the practical side of cheesemaking. Simultaneously, the company were able to instruct on the best ways of applying their fungal strains/ factors that would make the process useful to them when implementing at their own facility.
- A number of miniature cheese roundels were created and are being monitored during storage and maturation steps, with regular reports back to the company.
Benefit to the business
The company learnt the typical process steps and conditions required to produce a semi-hard blue cheese and now have a practical written protocol for small scale cheesemaking, along with details of equipment and suppliers that can be used, allowing them to implement this knowledge into their own production facility. A representative of the company has been shown how to carry out the process in practice and they will be able to draw conclusions about the suitability of such a process for them going forward by assessing the resulting cheeses that emerge from the maturation process. By testing their strains in development at a small scale, in-house, rather than having to commission larger scale cheesemaking production batches at third party production sites, should allow Myconeos to save save money and cut waste.