Why Maia Farms Mycelium-Based APT Is the Ingredient Your Food Already Wants

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Most alternative proteins still want you to believe you're biting into a cow. But let’s be honest: consumers are tired of being fooled, and food developers are tired of wrestling with products that fall apart in a frying pan. Enter Maia Farms, a Canadian biotech outfit serving up function over fiction with a next-gen APT (A Protein Thing) not needing to pretend.

Source: Maia Farms - Image showing flour, strips and shredded mushroom product

The hero of the story is Maia Form, a clean-label, high-functioning blend of oyster mushroom mycelium and Canadian-grown pea protein. Grown via liquid fermentation, this mycelial marvel skips the drama of meat mimicry and gets right down to business—holding moisture, delivering chew, and soaking up flavour like a pro. Whether it’s heading into a dumpling, binding a blended burger, or padding out a plant-based pie, this is an alt-protein that behaves in the real world.

And crucially? It tastes good. Not fake-good. Real-good.A satisfying savoury umami note, a natural texture, and none of the weird aftertaste or industrial weirdness. No binders, no extruders, no long-winded ingredients list.

CEO Jason McKay puts it plainly - “We’re not just creating alternatives, we’re building a new category. Maia Form gives food makers structure, moisture retention, and flavour absorption—but without all the processing baggage that’s held the alt protein space back.”

Source: Maia Farms - Mycelium APT (A Protein Thing) called FORM.

This is not just for industry nerds, either. With 12g of digestible, complete-protein per 100g and a mild, kitchen-friendly flavour, Maia Form has consumer applications baked in, literally. It could show up in your freezer aisle soon, dressed as a mushroom-pea lasagne or layered into a better-for-you breakfast sausage. It’s the kind of stealth health that doesn’t scream “plant-based,” but quietly ticks the boxes for flexitarians, wellness shoppers, and anyone trying to eat cleaner without sacrificing performance.

Maia Farms FORM SpagBol

So what’s next? Chef Karen McAthy, Head of Innovation at Maia, is already prototyping across categories, from bakery to centre-of-plate and says the versatility of mycelium makes it a dream medium for the next generation of hybrid foods.

For consumers, this is what a future-forward APT looks like - functional, fermentable, and finally… flavourful.

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