Day 8 utilizes upcycling technology to convert discarded agricultural leaves into Rubisco protein, a highly digestible and allergen-free ingredient for the food industry. This process addresses the 42% biomass waste in agriculture while providing food manufacturers with a sustainable protein source that enhances efficiency and reduces environmental impact.
Funding
$900K raised to dateRaised to date based on public sources. This may differ from the amount the company actually raised and is based only on what is publicly available on the internet.
Founders
Product
Problem
The agriculture industry generates a significant amount of biomass waste, with approximately 42% of grown biomass being discarded as leaves. This waste represents a loss of potential resources and contributes to environmental concerns related to disposal and inefficient land use.
Solution
Day 8 addresses agricultural biomass waste by upcycling discarded leaves into Rubisco protein, a highly digestible and allergen-free ingredient for the food industry. Their process extracts and refines Rubisco, the most abundant protein on earth, from agricultural waste streams. This provides food manufacturers with a sustainable and efficient protein source that reduces reliance on traditional, resource-intensive protein sources like soy and animal products. The resulting Rubisco protein boasts a neutral taste and color profile, eliminating the need for masking agents, and exhibits exceptional solubility and emulsification properties for diverse food applications. By partnering with growers, Day 8 creates an economic incentive for valorizing leaf residue, contributing to climate action through improved land, water, and energy usage.
Target Audience
Day 8 targets food manufacturers seeking sustainable, allergen-free, and highly functional protein ingredients, as well as agricultural growers looking to generate additional revenue from crop residue.
Features
- Upcycles discarded agricultural leaves into Rubisco protein.
- Produces a neutral-tasting and off-white colored protein, eliminating the need for masking.
- Creates an allergen-free protein source, unlike soy, milk, wheat, egg, and fish.
- Achieves a Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score (PDCAAS) close to 1.0, indicating high digestibility.
- Exhibits superior foaming capabilities compared to soy, with stable foam volume after two hours at neutral pH.
- Gels at concentrations less than 2%, outperforming soy and whey in gelling properties.
- Offers outstanding solubility across a broad pH range, functioning as an exceptional emulsifier.