Israeli startup Yeap announces that Lessafre, a global player in fermentation-derived products, has made a 10% investment in the company to introduce proteins made from upcycled spent yeast to the plant-based market.
Yeap was founded by cultivated meat pioneer Didier Toubia, CEO of Aleph Farms, Dominik Grabinski, and Jonathan Goshen, CEO of Yeap, to develop sustainable proteins incorporating a circular economy model. Its shareholders include The Kitchen Hub by Strauss and AgFunder. The company already has several products in the pipeline and is a member of the Upcycled Food Association.
Through the new partnership, Lessafre will assist Yeap in completing the development of these proteins made from upcycled yeast. Biospringer by Lesaffre, a leading producer of natural food ingredients extracted from yeast and other microorganisms, will oversee the collaboration.
“The product under development by Yeap is a natural ingredient for our customers and has the potential to address many of the challenges facing the food industry. With this investment, Biospringer strengthens its innovative position within this industry,” says Carmen Arruda, GM of Biospringer by Lesaffre.
Tomorrow’s food challenges
Yeast proteins offer a very low environmental impact compared to soy and peas, making them a cost-effective alternative to animal proteins. Furthermore, they are highly nutritious, have an attractive taste, and have applications in a wide range of foods, including alt dairy, meat, and eggs.
According to Lesaffre, by 2050, the world will need to provide nine billion people with healthy food from environmentally sustainable resources. Fermentation, microorganisms, and derivatives such as yeast extracts and highly functional proteins can play a vital role in meeting this challenge.
“The collaboration and investment from an industry leader such as Lesaffre is a strong vote of confidence in Yeap. As our world is facing the great challenges of climate change and scarcity of resources – we believe Yeap can be part of the solution. This investment will help us increase our capacity to innovate,” comments Goshen.
