It’s undeniable that the 21st century has witnessed the peak of plant-based meat thus far. With innovations like lab-grown animal protein, vegan burgers that are blood red just like beef, and branded products that have quickly become cult favorites, there’s no shortage of choices out there for people who want alternatives to the real deal. And now there’s another option entering the chat: Beyond Meat’s whole-muscle steak filet.

While speaking with CNBC on September 4th, Beyond Meat CEO Ethan Brown revealed that the popular plant-based meat company will be releasing a new steak product made from mycelium. The brand does already sell steak tips, but it’s the “whole-muscle” part of this new release that will really set it apart, as the latest protein alternative aims to replicate the signature texture of a luxurious filet. Beyond Meat has not yet confirmed when the item will be available for purchase.

To achieve the true texture of a steak, the producer is turning to mycelium, or the root-like structure of a fungus. Mycelium is composed of what looks like many small filaments, or hyphae, branching and fanning out from one another so they can absorb nutrients from their surroundings. This is how all mushrooms grow.

I reached out to Dr. Bryan Quoc Le, a food scientist and consultant with experience in researching alternative proteins, to find out why mycelium would be the material of choice for a whole-muscle steak product. 

Le pointed out that “fungi are much closer to animals than plants genetically and evolutionarily. They possess many of the same biological compounds that give animal flesh its taste and texture. For example, fungal mycelium naturally contains a higher concentration of enzymes, glutamates, ribonucleotides, and sulfur-based amino acids that are the building blocks for savory flavor, much like those found in muscle tissue. Fungal mycelium also produces dense fibers that are similar in structure to muscle tissue.”

This ability to accurately mimic the texture of the foods they know and love is what consumers are largely looking for in meat alternatives. Emma Ignaszewski, a senior associate director of industry intelligence at the Good Food Institute, says, “For both frequent users of plant-based meat and consumers who have bought it once or twice but not in the past year, the number one thing that would convince them to buy plant-based meat at the grocery store is if the taste and texture were exactly like conventional meat.”

Besides being primed to replicate the flavor and texture of beef steak, mycelium also presents another valuable opportunity to Beyond Meat: a method for reducing the number of ingredients in its final product.

As customers have become increasingly concerned with long ingredient lists and the health risks of ultra-processed foods, plant-based meat companies have seen their once sky-high profits start to fall. According to CNBC, Beyond Meat’s market capitalization is currently valued at less than $400 million dollars, a stark contrast to its previous peak of $14 billion in 2019.

The company is also working to make its offerings appeal to shoppers from a health perspective, and the steak filet marks the latest development in a line of updates to the makeup of Beyond Meat’s products. New versions of the Beyond Burger, Beef, and Sausage are part of “Beyond IV,” an effort to provide patrons with food items that have greater nutritional value. Adjustments and additions made to each of the company’s signature meats include avocado oil as a source of monounsaturated fats, just two grams of saturated fats per serving, 21 grams of protein in the burger and beef, and 17 grams of protein in the sausage, and a simplified ingredient list that eliminates canola and coconut oils.

The new steak will follow suit, with Beyond Meat telling me that it “is a delicious, clean source of protein and is low in saturated fat and designed to meet the guidelines of leading health organizations, including the American Heart Association and American Diabetes Association.”

If you’re not a fan of plant-based meats, then the texture of a whole-muscle steak and the savory flavor that mycelium yields might convert you. And if you’re already on-board the plant-based train, then a new cut of meat opens up a wider variety of options what you can make. As Ignaszewski notes, “Having whole muscle plant-based products available makes it easy for chefs and families cooking at home to make plant-based versions of many more dishes, from steak and mashed potatoes to carne asada, steak frites, steak skewers, and more. Basically, emerging formats like plant-based steak open up the door for consumers to adapt beloved dishes to be plant-based.”