Lesaffre bags minority shareholding in yeast protein start-up as plant-based proliferates

05 Sep 2023 --- Lesaffre has made a 10% investment in Yeap to help it finalize the development of a promising new protein ingredient made from upcycled yeast. Through this latest investment, Yeap becomes one of Lesaffre’s partners in bringing new functional and alternative proteins to the market.

Yeast proteins are natural and sustainable, making them an excellent alternative to animal proteins. 

Furthermore, they are highly nutritious, have an attractive taste and can be used in applications across a wide range of foods.

Promising proteins 
Yeap and Lesaffre are tapping into their shared vision to make yeast a key source of protein in the emerging plant-based protein market. The protein will be highly versatile, and because it is made from upcycled yeast, it will have a very low environmental impact.

“The collaboration and investment from an industry leader such as Lesaffre is a strong vote of confidence in Yeap,” says Jonathan Goshen, CEO and co-founder of Yeap. 

Yeap and Lesaffre are tapping into their shared vision to make yeast a key source of protein in the emerging plant-based protein market.“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.”

In line with Innova Market Insight’s fourth Top Ten Trend for 2023, “Plant-based: Unlocking a new narrative,” the plant-based scene is exploding and has expanded to wider, more mainstream applications using various legumes, pulses and protein sources. 

At the same time, it has penetrated the sophisticated culinary landscape, with some iterations claiming better performance than their animal-derived counterparts.

Moreover, upcycling is becoming more prevalent as an industry theme, with recent innovations being spotlighted by Extracta, transforming fruit waste into nutrient-dense ingredients. Scientists in Australia also recently developed a new technique that can upcycle waste coffee grounds to make up to 30% stronger concrete. 

Tomorrow’s food challenges
As part of its strategy, Lesaffre is exploring ways to meet today’s food challenges. By 2050, the world must provide nine billion people with healthy food from environmentally sustainable resources. 

The company underscores that fermentation, microorganisms and derivatives such as yeast extracts and highly functional proteins can play a vital role in meeting this challenge. 

“For 170 years, Lesaffre has been innovating to bring its customers solutions that help create a healthier, more sustainable future. Our expertise in fermentation and micro-organisms enables us to innovate every day, with the support of our passionate R&D teams and by investing in start-ups in which we believe. With Yeap, we aim to take a step further in finding solutions to the food challenges of tomorrow,” explains Brice-Audren Riché, CEO of Lesaffre.

This investment will be overseen by Biospringer by Lesaffre, the world’s largest producer of natural food ingredients derived from yeast and other microorganisms.

“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 new investment, Biospringer strengthens its innovative position within this industry,” adds Carmen Arruda, general manager of Biospringer by Lesaffre.

Edited by Elizabeth Green