Israel's Day 8 Secures Funds for Leaf Protein-Based Ingredient Extracted from Upcycled Crops
Summary
Israeli startup Day 8 has secured $750,000 pre-seed funding from The Kitchen FoodTech Hub to introduce a functional ingredient made from the leaf protein Rubisco for plant-based dairy, meat, and other food applications.The young startup was founded last year by Daniel Rejzner (CEO) and a former executive at Solbar (a leading soy manufacturer) Dana Marom (CTO) to unlock the future of delicious plant-based foods with earths most abundant and nutritious protein, Rubisco. All green leaves, from spinach to kale to the small Lemna (duckweed), contain small quantities of Rubisco.Day 8 claims that it has developed a unique extraction method to produce a flavorless white powder that contains the best nutritional qualities of Rubisco and its functional capabilities, such as emulsifying, foaming, and gelling, which surpass the capabilities of soy.Day 8 says its approach to the production process is cost-effective and scalable because it utilizes existing crop leaves as raw material. Its functional features include its ability to form gels, act as emulsifiers, create stable foams in foods, and potentially form bioactive peptides with health benefits.However, challenges in efficiently extracting and separating Rubisco from plant material have limited its use as a global food source.The complexity of extraction and purification processes requires large amounts of biomass to be processed quickly to avoid degradation of the final product. Various methods, such as twin-screw presses and enzyme treatments, are used for protein extraction from leaves, to separate them from other compounds.Various companies produce Rubisco as an ingredient for high-value plant-based foods. Plantible, a US startup using the aquatic plant Lemna to produce various functional ingredients, including a methylcellulose alternative and an egg replacer.The Leaf Protein Co., from Australia, also leverages agricultural leaf waste to extract proteins to make an ingredient for foods and Leaft Foods from New Zealand, secured $15 million for its leaf-derived protein in 2022.The name Day 8 is rooted in the belief that the world was created in seven days, and on the eighth day, it becomes our responsibility to protect and nurture it.