OSAKA - A tiny aquatic plant known as wolffia is emerging as a potential next-generation protein source, offering rapid growth, high nutritional value and a significantly smaller environmental footprint than soybeans or beef.
Floatmeal, a startup originating from Hokkaido University, is developing technology to mass-produce wolffia at a research facility in Toyohashi, Aichi Prefecture. The company was founded in 2023 with the goal of cultivating and selling the plant as a sustainable food ingredient.
Wolffia is a type of duckweed that grows in freshwater and consists of green, grain-sized bodies. It can double in volume in about three days when the water temperature is at least 25 degrees Celsius, allowing it to be cultivated in relatively small spaces.
Producing the same amount of protein requires only about one-140th of the land needed for soybeans and one-24,000th of the area required for beef, according to the company. The plant's rapid growth and low environmental impact have drawn attention internationally as governments and businesses search for ways to address food shortages and climate-related challenges.
Once harvested, the wolffia is dried, ground and processed into powder. The powder contains 44 grams of protein per 100 grams, compared with 33 grams for soybeans and 22 grams for beef.
The powder has a mild flavor resembling matcha and little bitterness, making it easy to blend into other foods. A cafe in Tokyo serves it in fruit smoothies, where customers have described the drink as more fruity than vegetable-like.
Floatmeal is also working with a company in Betsukai, Hokkaido, to develop a jelly containing wolffia. The product is expected to be marketed as a way to supplement nutrients that are often lacking in daily diets because the plant also contains vitamins and minerals.
The company plans to target the health food and sports nutrition markets. Although several overseas businesses already produce wolffia, Floatmeal says its advantage lies in technology developed through research at Hokkaido University.
The cultivation method uses microorganisms living in symbiosis with wolffia to promote faster growth, increase productivity and reduce production costs.
Wolffia is traditionally eaten in Thailand, where commercial cultivation sites already exist. Floatmeal plans to work with local companies over the next two years to transfer its growing technology and establish a mass-production system.
The startup is aiming for annual sales of 10 billion yen by 2032 and is considering both Japan and overseas markets.
The United Nations projects that the global population will exceed 10 billion in 2061, intensifying concerns about securing adequate food supplies. Researchers and companies are increasingly exploring non-animal protein sources with lower environmental costs, and wolffia is seen as one possible solution.
Floatmeal said it hopes to create products that can be distributed around the world, viewing overseas markets as essential to its long-term growth.
Efforts to build a more sustainable food system are also expanding in western Japan, where companies are developing products from agricultural materials that previously went unused.
Nihon Maruten Shoyu, a soy sauce maker in Hyogo Prefecture with a history of more than 200 years, has launched a noodle soup base made with immature green mandarins that are removed from trees before ripening.
The company, which produces soy sauce, noodle soup bases and ponzu citrus sauce, developed the product using juice from green mandarins discarded during the fruit-thinning process.
Farmers remove some immature fruit to ensure that remaining mandarins receive sufficient nutrients. Although the work is necessary for cultivation, large quantities of the green fruit have traditionally been thrown away.
The unripe mandarins have moderate sweetness and relatively mild acidity, prompting the company to examine whether their juice could be used as a food ingredient.
Nihon Maruten partnered with a company in the Mikkabi area of Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, where a project has been buying green mandarins that previously generated no income for farmers and processing them into juice and other products.
The initiative is designed to treat discarded fruit as a regional resource while creating a new source of revenue for growers.
Nihon Maruten conducted about 100 trials while developing its green mandarin noodle soup base. One major difficulty was preserving the citrus aroma, which tended to disappear during high-temperature sterilization.
After three years of testing and repeated adjustments to the balance between the citrus juice and soup stock, the company completed the product. Sales have been strong during its first three months on the market.
The soup base combines the aroma of traditional broth with a pronounced but refreshing citrus acidity. It can be served with somen noodles and may also be used with sashimi, tofu or deep-fried tofu.
An estimated 36,000 tons of green mandarins are discarded annually around the Mikkabi area, according to the project.
Nihon Maruten is also using other overlooked ingredients in new products. It has developed gelato made with fruit that fails to meet retail appearance standards and amazake produced by the company.
The amazake is normally used as an ingredient in its light-colored soy sauce and serves as a sweetener in the gelato, allowing materials that previously had little commercial value to be transformed into marketable foods.
The projects reflect a broader effort by Japanese businesses to reduce food loss and environmental pressure by turning new ingredients and unused agricultural resources into products for consumers.
Source: Television OSAKA NEWS
