New Zealand-based Leaft Foods has received an investment from Japanese dairy group Lacto Japan, supporting the commercialisation of protein products made from its leaf protein ingredient.

The food-tech start-up has developed a proprietary technology that directly extracts protein from alfalfa leaves.

Its solution is based on Rubisco protein, widely found in chloroplast-containing plants, and aims to provide a sustainable protein source that utilises resources found abundantly in nature.

Leaft’s product portfolio includes Leaft Blade, a ready-to-drink functional performance drink designed for athletes and health-conscious consumers. It also offers a Rubisco protein isolate solution, designed to boost the nutrition of alt-dairy products and suitable for use as an egg alternative.

The Rubisco protein offers a good balance of essential amino acids, comparable to whey protein, and offers a differentiated solution in the alt-protein market due to its rapid absorption in the body.

The recent investment from Lacto Japan aims to support the development of a production and sales network for Rubisco protein, expanding its business in the Japanese market and strengthening the two companies’ existing collaboration.

A partnership between Leaft and Lacto Japan was already announced last year, with th two businesses now focusing on expanding opportunities to provide healthy and sustainable protein solutions.

Lacto said it has strengthened its expertise in functional nutrition ingredients in recent years, aligned with growing consumer health consciousness.