Israeli company Mushroom Benefit Ltd has launched a new line of Cuisine Bags that offer a plant-based, clean-label alternative to traditional powdered soup stocks. The patent-pending Cuisine Bags seek to disrupt the soup, stock and sauces retail market, says the company. Each mesh sachet is about twice the size of a tea bag and contains a unique blend of exotic mushrooms and are available in three flavors: Asian, Italian, and “Classic.” They were formulated to include a blend of herbs such as basil or lemongrass to satisfy both Western and Eastern taste buds, each with its own distinct aromas and flavors.

The sachets are touted as being a convenient quick-fix solution for preparing sophisticated cuisine that demands minimal expertise and that can readily conform to the time constraints of modern life. Mushroom Benefit claims it can turn home cooking into “a gourmet experience”, in just fifteen minutes of infusion in boiling water.

“Powdered alternatives rely heavily on salt to provide the flavor that ingredients lack and include synthetic ingredients such as colors, artificial flavors, MSG and preservatives. We chose carefully high-end ingredients such as exotic mushrooms to boost the flavor of any dish. The Cuisine Bags line is all-natural, plant-based, without any artificial ingredients and even cost effective compare to buying all the ingredients, cutting and cooking them to get the desired dish,” Mira Weigensberg, CEO and Co-Founder of The Mushroom Benefit Ltd tells FoodIngredientsFirst.

The bags are made of 100 percent natural and wholly biodegradable corn fiberThe new launch comes as consumer demand for distinct flavors is rising among global consumers. An Innova Market Insights reports that there is a burgeoning zest among consumers for culinary adventure, pegging The Adventurous Consumer as the number one trend of 2019. Consumers are exploring new cultural flavors and seeking multisensory food experiences as more ethnic flavors appear in western snacks and ready-to-eat meals. The market researcher also reports an expanding western familiarity with umami which is coined as the “fifth flavor.” At the same time, consumers in the East are demanding more natural sources of umami.

The Mushroom Benefit began as a family-run business. Oren Kessler, the company’s R&D VP, together with his lifelong partner, dedicated their activities to the research, cultivation, and marketing of exotic mushrooms in Israel. Today, the start-up focuses on the innovation and development of novel functional food products based on exotic mushrooms and other natural ingredients within the international specialty food marketplace.

The novel sachets contain a complex balance of mushrooms, infusing natural, full-bodied flavors of umami and additional herbs to enrich home-cooked dishes. The Mushroom Benefit says it carefully seleced a choice mix of exotic mushrooms, principally shiitake and black truffle, to deliver an enriched taste. The Shiitake mushroom was chosen as a base due to its rich umami characteristic that imparts a meaty, savory sensation to foods.

Incorporating food technology and advanced product design, the equivalent of a meal portion of fresh mushrooms is condensed into a small sachet. Immersing just one sachet, directly or after steeping in hot water, yields enough flavor to amply enrich more than a liter of product, which is sufficient for up to eight servings. Each Cuisine Bag package contains five sachets. 

The bags themselves are made of 100 percent natural and wholly biodegradable corn fiber, demonstrating the company’s commitment to careful utilization of natural resources and reducing packaging footprint.

“Preparing a sophisticated and healthy meal requires effort, knowledge and time spent pre-planning, cutting, soaking, filtering, spicing, and preparing a stock,” adds Tal Leizer, CEO of Practical Innovations., the innovation engine behind the development of the Mushroom Benefit’s Cuisine Bag. 

“That’s too much trouble and time-consuming for many of us in a life that is overly crowded with other demands. These small sachets are designed to bring the mushrooms’ essence to the dining table with minimal effort and maximum indulgence.”

According to Weigensberg, health-conscious consumers place a higher value on more naturally processed, “free-from” food attributes and this is propelling the abandonment of one of the cornerstones of the traditional kitchen: soup powders and ready-made sauces which often contain monosodium glutamate (MSG), artificial ingredients and sugars.

“Our product is vegan-friendly, contains zero sugar and sodium, and no added MSG or artificial coloring or flavoring — it only contains natural ingredients,” Weigensberg explains. “Moreover, the mushrooms’ umami factor significantly lowers the need to enhance savory flavor with salt.”

“We are ‘The Mushroom People’,” says Kessler. “For many years we have focused on mushrooms and worked tirelessly to introduce these once unfamiliar yet tremendously unique and healthful niche ingredients to the mainstream kitchen.”

Going forward the company has more, similar products lined up for smaller portions for one or two people on-the-go. “We also intend to launch a different product: a line of crunchy snacks bundled with beneficial beta glucan polysaccharides. Details are pending due to the necessity to complete the last stage of formalities related to patent registration,” Weigensberg says.

By Kristiana Lalou