duckweed

Duckweed/water lentils approved for consumption in the EU

© WUR
Approvals

Duckweed Becomes Officially Approved as a Food Product Within the EU

Duckweed, a sustainably cultivated plant also known as water lentils, has been officially approved for consumption within the EU by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). Water lentils are widely consumed in some Asian countries, but have not yet become a food staple in the West. However, this may be about to change, thanks in large part to the work of Ingrid van der Meer of Wageningen University & Research in the Netherlands. Van der Meer, a senior researcher and head of the Bioscience department at Wageningen Plant Research, first became interested in water lentils ten years ago. She was struck by the sustainability of their production; the plants can produce over six times as much protein per hectare as soy and each one divides …

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microTERRA has launched Flora, a duckweed-based ingredient to reduce sugar in F&B

© microTERRA
Ingredients

microTERRA Launches Super Sustainable Duckweed-Based Ingredient to Reduce Sugar in F&B

microTERRA, a Mexican startup creating plant-based functional ingredients for the food industry, has launched of a new development: Flora, a protein ingredient extracted from Lemna, an aquatic plant commonly known as duckweed.  microTERRA’s new ingredient enhances sweetness perception, reducing sugar in food and beverages without compromising taste and texture. “Flora helps improve people’s health by reducing the sugar content in their food while maintaining the same consumer experience,” shared Marissa Cuevas Flores, CEO and founder of microTERRA. The ingredient also offers other features depending on the application. It can enhance a particular flavor, unmask undesired ones, or improve the mouthfeel of products by providing better texture. According to the company, Flora enables F&B companies to produce healthier and more sustainable products, from ice cream to sugar-sweetened …

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Tony Martens of Plantible

Tony Martens of Plantible
Interviews

Plantible: “We Are Talking About a New Form of Farming That Has Never Been Seen on a Commercial Scale”

San Diego-based Plantible Foods uses a leafy green aquatic plant called lemna to produce the nutrient-dense complete protein RuBisCo, also known as Rubi Protein. Requiring ten times less water than soybeans and almost 100 times less than beef, lemna is incredibly sustainable. The plant is grown on aqua farms, meaning it requires no arable land, and takes in ten times more CO2 than a healthy forest. Plantible raised $21.5 million in 2021, taking its total funding to $27 million. Since then, the company has continued to develop new products made with Rubi Protein, launching the egg replacer Rubi Whisk in June of this year. The product can be used in baked goods, gluten-free products, pasta, and other applications. This October, Plantible and its collaborator ICL …

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Aquatic plant Lemma

Image courtesy of Plantible
Ingredients

Plantible and ICL Unveil “Revolutionary” Clean-Label Alternative to Methylcellulose Made with Duckweed

US duckweed ingredients company Plantible Foods and ICL Food Specialties, a leading manufacturer of functional ingredients, have introduced ROVITARIS, a “revolutionary” clean label binding solution for plant-based meat and seafood applications.  ROVITARIS is described as a functional protein system designed to replace chemically processed binders, such as methylcellulose, without compromising the taste and texture of foods. Moreover, it makes plant-based meat products “taste better and perform more authentically,” says Plantible. The new ingredient features RuBisCO, a protein that Plantible extracts from the aquatic plant Lemna (duckweed) commercialized as the Rubi Protein. It contains all nine essential amino acids and can mimic the functions of animal proteins, including emulsifying and binding. The Rubi Protein is also neutral in color, odor, and flavor.  “Plant-based protein formulators have been searching for a …

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Plantible launches plant-based egg replacer made from duckweed protein

Image courtesy of Plantible
Egg Alternatives

Plantible Foods Launches Egg Replacer Made of Duckweed That Outperforms Poultry Eggs

Plantible Foods, a duckweed protein ingredients developer, announces the launch of its first product, Rubi Whisk — a plant-based egg replacer for baking goods, gluten-free products, pasta, and other applications.  Founded in California in 2018, Plantible Foods has developed a technology to extract a particular protein dubbed RuBisCO from the highly sustainable aquatic plant Lemna, commonly known as duckweed. RuBisCO contains all nine essential amino acids and can mimic and replace animal proteins. Rubi Whisk is the first of many plant-forward solutions to replace animal proteins in meat and dairy alternatives, sports, and adult nutrition products, explains the duckweed company. “For too long, consumers have had to make trade-offs when choosing plant-based or gluten-free foods, compromising on taste and texture and often settling for less …

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duckweed

Duckweed © sakhorn38 - stock.adobe.com
Market & Trends

Increase in Veganism Propels Demand For Duckweed, One of World’s Most Sustainable & Nutritious Plants

The aquatic plant duckweed, also known as lemna or the water lentil, is considered to be one of the most sustainable and nutrient-dense plants in the world. Duckweed protein is witnessing growth according to a new market report that states growing veganism is driving demand. The market value stands at $165.5M and is set to surpass $165M in the next decade. Plantible Foods Food producers currently using the highly sustainable protein notably include San Diego’s Plantible Foods, which we have been reporting about since it emerged in 2018. Speaking to vegconomist in December of 2018, Plantible’s Tony Martens and Maurits van de Ven talked about how they are developing “egg whites” from plants; “We are on a mission to create a truly sustainable global food …

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©Plantible Foods
Investments & Finance

San Diego’s Plantible Secures $21.5M For Alt Meat & Dairy Created From One of World’s Most Sustainable Plant Proteins

Plantible Foods announces it has closed a $21.5 million Series A funding round led by Astanor Ventures, making a total raise of $27 million to date. The startup’s proprietary plant protein Rubi Protein™ harnesses lemna, an aquatic plant commonly known as duckweed which is considered to be one of the most sustainable and nutrient-dense plants in the world. “lemna contains one of the most valuable proteins in the world; a protein that behaves just like egg-whites” Plantible was founded in 2018 by Tony Martens and Maurits van de Ven with the goal of reshaping the world’s food supply chain. Speaking with vegconomist in a previous interview, the founders explained that duckweed imitates the characteristics of animal-based proteins: “Being considered one of the world’s most sustainable …

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Rubi Protein - Plantible Foods

©Plantible Foods
Company News

Plantible Foods Secures $4.6 M for “World’s Most Sustainable Protein” Derived From Aquatic Duckweed

Plantible Foods announces $4.6 million in investment for a proprietary plant protein created by harnessing lemna, an aquatic plant commonly known as duckweed which is considered to be one of the most sustainable and nutrient-dense plants in the world. Lemna is reportedly 100 X more protein efficient than soy and 40 X more than peas.

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Plantible Co Founders Tony Martens and Maurits van de Ven

© Plantible
Interviews

Plantible Foods: “We are on a Mission to Create a Truly Sustainable Global Food System”

California-based Plantible Foods is on the mission to revolutionise the food industry by developing the most functional and sustainable plant protein using lemna (also known as duckweed). Being 50,000 times more protein efficient than beef and even hundred times more protein efficient than soy, lemna has the potential to become the ultimate protein source.

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duckweed

Duckweed © sakhorn38 - stock.adobe.com
Products & Launches

California Company is Cultivating “World’s Best and Most Sustainable Plant-based Protein”

Plantible Foods is creating plant-based protein made of aquatic plant lemna, commonly known as duckweed, which is neutral in colour and taste and has the characteristics of an egg white. Plantible says that they are “on a mission to revolutionize the food industry by harnessing the power of the humble, awe-inspiring lemna to create the world’s best plant-based protein.”

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