Maash Secures €12M to Scale LoCylia Mycoprotein for Blended Meat and Pet Food
- Gauri Khanna
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
Belgian food tech firm Maash has raised €12.15M to launch a demonstration facility and accelerate industrial-scale production of its mycoprotein ingredient, LoCylia.
Maash uses submerged fermentation with an EU-approved strain of filamentous fungi to produce a complete protein with a PDCAAS score of 1.0, claiming 90% less water use and 95% fewer greenhouse gas emissions than beef.
The raise positions Maash to compete for European mycoprotein leadership at a time when investor appetite for alternative proteins remains selective but active.
A Brussels Start-Up Bets on Industrial Discipline
Founded in 2021 by Frédéric van Gansberghe and Gaspard Gilbert, Maash is a Brussels-based scale-up that produces mycoprotein through submerged fermentation, a process in which an EU-approved strain of filamentous fungi is cultivated in a liquid medium. The active fungal biomass is then converted into a high-quality protein, treated for safety, and supplied to food manufacturers.
The company's latest funding round totals €12.15M ($14.2M), combining €5.85M in equity from investors including Ambra Capital, InvestPro, Bpifrance Amorçage Industriel, Nordzucker, and Tereos, alongside a €4.3M grant from Bpifrance's Première Usine programme and a €2M loan from the same bank's Prêt d'Amorçage Investissement scheme. Capital will go towards launching a demonstration plant at a site in Carling-Saint-Avold, France, previously acquired from Metabolic Explorer (Metex), and advancing towards industrial-scale output.
Coinciding with the raise is the appointment of Samah Garringer as CEO. Garringer brings prior experience at DSM, Avril Group, and mycoprotein firm Enough, and her mandate centres on delivering the pre-industrial project and building commercial momentum.
LoCylia: Two Products, Two Markets
Maash's ingredient, LoCylia, is sold in two formulations. LoCylia FD is designed for blended meat applications, combining animal and alternative proteins in a single product. The company claims it can help save the protein equivalent of up to 120 cows per day and offers superior digestibility relative to conventional meat-only formulations. LoCylia PF is built for the pet food market, positioned as an alternative to fish meal, soy, and legumes, which can sometimes fall short on amino acid completeness.
Both products share the same underlying nutritional profile. LoCylia carries a PDCAAS score of 1.0, the highest achievable rating for protein quality, indicating it supplies all essential amino acids in proportions the human body can fully utilise. The ingredient is also described as free from the top allergens that account for 90% of food-related allergies, though Maash has not published third-party clinical data to substantiate all performance claims at this stage.
Maash also highlights two functional properties with potential market relevance. First, mycelium fermentation is said to improve the speed at which the body digests protein. Second, the metabolism of the fungi is said to promote satiety, which the company suggests could make LoCylia useful in products aimed at consumers using GLP-1 receptor agonists, the class of weight-loss drugs that suppress appetite. These claims, while plausible given the fibre content typical of mycoprotein, have not yet been supported by published clinical evidence specific to LoCylia.
On environmental metrics, the company states LoCylia uses 90% less water and 99% less land than beef, and generates 95% fewer greenhouse gas emissions while eliminating methane, a potent short-lived climate pollutant associated with ruminant livestock.
Scaling in a Selective Market
Maash's funding arrives in a funding environment that has grown more cautious towards alternative proteins broadly. The company is explicit about its strategy: industrial discipline, cost competitiveness, and alignment with existing food manufacturing workflows rather than consumer-facing disruption. Both LoCylia formats are ingredient plays, sold to manufacturers rather than directly to shoppers.
The broader European mycoprotein sector has continued to attract capital despite the headwinds. The Protein Brewery added €18M to its Series B earlier this year, while Adamo Foods secured a €10M Horizon Europe grant for whole-cut mycelium meat. Maash's focus on blended meat and pet food, rather than full meat replacement, reflects a more pragmatic commercial posture, one that works within existing consumer habits rather than asking shoppers to change them.
The demonstration facility at Carling-Saint-Avold will be the first real test of whether Maash's fermentation process can hold up at scale. Until that facility is operational and commercial offtake agreements are in place, the company's ambition to become a European mycoprotein leader remains a projection rather than a fact.
