Today on Mushroom Hour we are blessed to be joined by Dr. Mazen Rizk, one of the founders of Mushlabs. Dr. Rizk is originally from Lebanon but completed his PhD in Hamburg, Germany. He began developing the concept for his food technology company, Mushlabs, at the Technical University lab but has since expanded and now is gearing up to launch the company’s first product. Mushlabs is a team of 40 people from 18 different countries with the shared goal of building a better food system with the help of fungi and fermentation. Their first product concept is created through an incredible fermentation transformation of mycelium. This creates a food product that is truly novel because unlike other companies using a mold strain of fungus, their chosen mycelium is from a strain of mushroom that produces edible fruiting bodies. The potential for this technology to bring reliable, sustainable food to countries effected by war and climate change is quite motivating on a personal level for Dr. Rizk and I think is a potent example of how mushrooms can help us save the world!   

TOPICS COVERED:    

• Growing Up in Lebanon   
• To Hamburg in Pursuit of Solutions Through Biotechnology   
• Fundamental Change in Food Systems   
• Fungi & Fermentation   
• Effect of Prebiotic Fibers on Human Health   
• Selecting a Strain of Edible Mushroom Mycelium for Making Products   
• Systematic Approach to Selecting Growth Parameters   
• Using Agricultural “Sidestreams” as Inputs for Mycelium Cultivation   
• Creating Circular Food Systems   
• Scaling Mushlabs’ Mycelium Production   
• Partnering with Major Food Producers    
• What is Mushlabs’ Fermentation Process?   
• Critical Importance of Finding a Diverse Team   
• Beyond Burgers – Worldwide Mycelium-based Cultural Foods   

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• Mushlabs Website: https://www.mushlabs.com/   
• Mushlabs IG: https://www.instagram.com/mushlabs/