Millow: The Next Generation of Plant Protein

Staffan Hillberg serves as Chairman at Millow, the Swedish food-tech company pioneering a new generation of mycelium-based meat alternatives. Backed by over 25 years of scientific research, Millow’s innovation combines Nordic grains with mycelium to create clean-label, nutrient-dense protein that is minimally processed, binder-free, and highly sustainable. Under Hillberg’s leadership, Millow is positioning itself as a planet-friendly alternative to both traditional meat and ultra-processed plant-based substitutes.

DeliveryRank features Chairman Staffan Hillberg to delve into Millow’s mission and its vision for the future of sustainable nutrition.

Millow combines mycelium with plant-based substrates to produce a meat analog claimed to be more natural and healthier. Can you walk through the development process of this blend, and how you balance texture, flavor, and nutritional profile?

As you’ve noted, we have developed a proprietary dry fermentation process called MUTE. It is a platform technology that enables us to address multiple vertical markets using mycelium. Our current focus is on human food, but we are already exploring applications in pet food and animal feed, with many other potential uses for mycelium on the horizon.

In our fermentation process, we combine a plant-based substrate—this can be grains, vegetables, or even industrial side streams—with mycelium. Using our AI-driven software, we precisely control how the mycelium grows and permeates the substrate in three dimensions. This level of control allows us to create a remarkably satisfying, chewy texture.

What truly sets our product apart is its performance in real culinary conditions. You can boil it, bake it on a pizza in a 400° oven, or even throw it on a barbecue—and it retains its structure beautifully without melting or breaking down.

Our technology includes several proprietary elements that allow us to tailor not only the texture but also the flavour and nutritional profile. For example, flavour neutrality is a key achievement. Many plant-based proteins carry unwanted off-notes, but we are able to eliminate those entirely—even in notoriously challenging substrates like fava beans or rapeseed oil byproducts.

While we currently work primarily with oats, combining them with mycelium, we are doing extensive research on side-stream applications. In fact, I can share a recent article where we successfully used oat milk production waste and brewer's spent grains together with mycelium to create high-quality products.

Millow uses a patented technology called MUTE (“Mycelium Utilized Texture Engineering”) to achieve desirable texture without binders. What challenges did you have developing MUTE, and how does it perform compared to more traditional meat substitute methods?

To give you some background, the technology was originally developed by Professor Mohammad Taherzadeh. If you look him up, you’ll find that he has more than 20 years of experience in fermentation and mycelium research, with the highest number of published scientific articles in the field of mycelium for food and feed applications. This is something he has dedicated decades of his career to.

Traditionally, most companies in the industry use wet or submerged fermentation. A well-known example is Quorn, which has been using this method for around 40 years. Professor Taherzadeh identified several limitations in that approach and developed the process we now call MUTE.

To explain the difference: in the traditional method, fermentation takes place in large steel tanks filled with water, combined with a sugar source to feed the mycelium. After several days of fermentation, the water has to be removed, the biomass dried, and then it undergoes multiple processing stages to achieve texture. All of that consumes a significant amount of energy. Additionally, the wastewater has to be cleaned before it can be released back into the system, which adds further energy consumption, equipment costs, and complexity. The entire setup—large steel tanks, drying units, wastewater treatment—requires heavy capital investment.

In contrast, with Millow, from just one kilogram of oats, we are able to produce 2.4 kilograms of finished product in less than 24 hours. Our process uses only two components: mycelium and a plant-based substrate, such as oats. We add only minimal moisture—just enough for the mycelium to thrive. Think about how mushrooms appear in the forest after a light rainfall; they don’t require vast amounts of water, and the same principle applies here.

We also capture and reuse the heat generated during fermentation, and our minimal post-processing further reduces both water and energy consumption. Importantly, our process produces zero waste, making it not only highly efficient but also significantly more cost-effective compared to traditional methods.

That efficiency—both in terms of resources and economics—is one of the biggest advantages of our technology.

Millow claims to emit 97% fewer greenhouse gases compared to beef and 80% fewer than soy, plus much lower water and energy use. How are these environmental benefits measured?

We’ve been operating a pilot facility for three years, where we’ve conducted all development work and gathered detailed measurements throughout the process. This has allowed us to accurately track both water and energy consumption, as well as perform a full lifecycle analysis to determine CO₂ impact. The data for other production methods—whether it’s soy, Quorn, or beef—is widely available and well-documented, so it’s straightforward to draw comparisons.

The team responsible for our lifecycle analysis also teaches at the university level, so there’s a strong scientific foundation behind everything we do. When you look at it logically, it becomes very clear why our process is significantly more efficient than other methods. Take beef production as an example: first, the animal needs feed or grass, which requires substantial water to grow. Then, the animals themselves consume water, followed by additional water and high energy use during processing. On top of that, cows emit methane. When you add it all up, it's easy to see the environmental toll.

In comparison, our process is dramatically more resource-efficient—not only versus beef but also versus plant protein sources like soy or fermentation-based technologies like Quorn. Compared to Quorn specifically, we cut water use by 98%, which is a massive reduction.

Your products are non-GMO, free from artificial additives, gluten-free, vegan, with all nine essential amino acids. What are the biggest formulation or supply chain challenges in maintaining those clean label attributes?

Our process uses just two ingredients: oats and mycelium. There are no additives whatsoever, which means it’s a completely clean-label product. Oats are naturally gluten-free, but as you know, ensuring a true gluten-free claim requires that the entire supply chain remains uncontaminated—no cross-contact with gluten-containing grains during storage or transport.

What’s unique about our technology is that even if trace contamination were to occur earlier in the supply chain, the fermentation process we use ensures the final product remains gluten-free. Securing the right raw material is still important, of course, and oats are an ideal choice because they’re widely available and can be sourced locally in most regions.

We currently use Swedish oats, which, like most European oats, are non-GMO. If we were to produce in other parts of the world, we would apply the same criteria and ensure non-GMO sourcing where that aligns with our standards. And while oats are our focus today, the technology gives us flexibility—we can adapt to other local grains if needed.

From an industry perspective: as the alternative protein market grows, what trends or consumer preferences do you see as most critical for Millow to stay competitive (e.g., sustainability, taste, clean label, texture, global expansion)?

As you mentioned, when it comes to food, taste and texture are always the top priorities—if those don’t deliver, nothing else matters. Price is also crucial; we’re not trying to create a luxury product like Wagyu beef. It has to be affordable and accessible, and thanks to our highly efficient process and low CapEx requirements, we’re able to hit a very competitive price point.

Once those fundamentals are in place—taste, texture, and price—we’re able to go further. Our product is clean label, made from just two ingredients with no additives whatsoever. Nutritionally, it’s a complete protein containing all nine essential amino acids, plus fibres, minerals, and vitamins. What’s significant is that those vitamins and minerals are bioavailable.

For example, in oat-based products, minerals like iron and zinc typically have low absorption due to phytic acid, an antinutrient present in many plant foods. Our fermentation process naturally reduces phytic acid, which significantly increases the bioavailability of these nutrients. This is particularly relevant for vegan and vegetarian consumers—especially women—who often struggle to absorb sufficient iron from plant-based diets.

Beyond protein, our product also includes beneficial compounds like beta-glucan from oats, known for supporting heart health, and chitosan from mycelium, which has additional functional benefits. We also have the potential to incorporate probiotics, unlocking even more nutritional value.

There has been a strong focus on protein in recent years, but the conversation is finally shifting toward complete nutrition. It’s not about having the highest protein number—it’s about balance and bioavailability, and that’s exactly what we’re able to deliver.

If you would like to find out more about Millow, please visit https://millow.co/