Elomatic helps BioMush scale technology that creates new flavoring products from food industry waste
BioMush is a food technology startup that develops umami-based flavors from food industry side streams. The company has developed a solid-state fermentation technology that turns edible side streams into valuable flavoring components. Production takes place in a bioreactor, for which Elomatic designed a pilot-stage production plant concept and a model for scaling up production.
BioMush’s story started when the developers of pulled oats were producing plant proteins and searching for an umami flavor to enhance their product.
The development of plant-based umami began with various tests, which led to the idea of trying solid-state fermentation as a production method. The test batches of the product development ended up being made in a garage for longer than planned, but there was a pleasant surprise: the final product tasted excellent.
Originating from a garage in 2021, BioMush is today a food technology startup whose customers include food manufacturing companies. At first, the company also manufactured products itself, but today it focuses on selling its technology.
Companies that have already shown an interest in BioMush’s products include Apetit in Finland and Japan Airlines, which was attracted by the soy-free umami sauce developed by the company.
Microbes help turn foot waste into new products
Practically all kinds of edible waste can be transformed into delicious flavors in the bioreactor developed by BioMush. For example, the peels and stems from vegetable processing and the brewer’s mash from beer production are suitable raw materials for the production of flavors. Accordingly, the company’s business is based entirely on the circular economy.
“With our help, a company that produces tomato sauce, for example, can produce flavors from its own production waste to flavor its products. Our business is created by selling the bioreactors and microorganisms needed for fermentation to companies that integrate these into their own production process,” explains BioMush CEO Kaisa Karhunen.
Waste management is a cost-intensive process for many food companies. BioMush technology reduces production process costs and improves resource efficiency, as previously wasteful side streams are put to good use.
Solid-state fermentation uses very little water and energy, making flavor production resource-efficient.
Fermentation makes it possible to simplify the list of ingredients in the final product, the seasoning sauce: nothing more is needed in the production of the flavorings than sufficient food waste and a microbial cocktail. This is a competitive advantage in the food sector, as our clean label umami enables the customer to replace, for example, the use of yeast extract.
Kaisa Karhunen, CEO, BioMush
Reliable partner supports grown
The company’s collaboration with Elomatic began when developing the bioreactor in 2023. BioMush was looking for a design partner to help with both the design of the pilot plant and the scaling of production and found Elomatic through recommendations.
Elomatic designed a total of three different pilot plant concepts for the company, as well as a preliminary concept for scaling production tenfold, suitable for industrial scale.
According to Project Manager Taneli Arola at Elomatic, working with the food technology startup has been rewarding: “We know how to scale production, and we are familiar with food industry technologies. When combined with an innovative business idea, the collaboration is extremely rewarding.”
Elomatic’s long history in the food industry and experience in working with startups were important to BioMush.
“We have received professional planning and guidance from Elomatic, which has helped us avoid many mistakes. Their flexibility and ability to respond rapidly to changing needs have been invaluable to us,” Karhunen confirms.
Growing interest in fermentation is opening doors to the world
BioMush’s future plans include expanding its flavor portfolio and scaling production to a new level. A demo version of a small reactor is now ready, but the next step is to implement it on an industrial scale. Plans are already underway to continue the collaboration with Elomatic.
The company’s markets are international. Asia in particular, where fermentation technology is already familiar, is an important future business area for BioMush.
In addition to expanding into new markets, the future may also bring the application of fermentation expertise to completely new sectors.
“We have contributed to fermentation technology through our own research. Our expertise in scaling solid-state fermentation also enables us to expand into other interesting areas,” Karhunen says.
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