Leaft’s Rubisco Protein Isolate is extracted from green leaves – a novel protein source positioned as both sustainable and versatile in alternative protein development.
The partnership aims to accelerate sustainable nutrition in Asia Pacific by pairing Leaft’s technology with Lacto Japan’s established presence in dairy and food manufacturing.
A new protein system for staple foods
Leaft CEO Ross Milne shared that the firm is introducing a fourth category of raw material for protein – a new milestone for the food industry that has been relying on meat, dairy, and seeds.
“Today, most of the food production system relies on three raw material staples: meat, dairy, and seeds. We’re introducing a fourth – green leaves – which is a step-change in efficiency. Using green leaves allows us to produce four times more protein per hectare with a 97% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to dairy systems. That’s a fundamental shift in how we produce protein,” said Milne.
Leaft highlighted bakery and plant-based milks as immediate areas of opportunity for its Rubisco ingredient, citing its ability to replicate egg functionality in baked goods and enhance texture and foaming even at very low inclusion levels in dairy alternatives – meaning it can be used in small amounts to achieve desired results, making it cost-efficient.
This is where Leaft can leverage Lacto’s expertise to bring this novel protein to Japanese food manufacturers.
Takeshi Shimizu, General Manager Oceania at Lacto Japan, said that Leaft’s protein system is versatile across multiple applications.
“What impressed us most was not only the protein system itself, but the fact that we have been able to work with it in a range of promising applications from the start. The quality, texture and flavour of the foods produced meet the exceptionally high standards that Japanese consumers expect,” said Takeshi Shimizu, General Manager Oceania at Lacto Japan.
Milne added: “Rubisco allows us to bring properties that can replace egg whites, yolks, or whole eggs in bakery applications – delivering the rise and gelling characteristics needed for high-quality baked goods.
“In plant-based milks – even at less than 1% inclusion rate – Rubisco can provide texture and foaming characteristics, which has been a longstanding challenge in that category.
“Looking ahead, there’s strong potential in the nutritional space, where Rubisco can deliver a wide range of textures and formats. Japan has a strong track record of creating innovative product formats, and we see opportunities for these innovations to eventually transfer into other markets, including the US.”
This is a significant milestone not just for Leaft, but also the protein industry, where innovation has stagnated over the years, said Milne.
The untapped potential of “utopia protein”
Milne envisions Rubisco as a future primary protein source with broad applications across bakery, dairy alternatives, and nutrition.
“We expect to see it widely applied in bakery, dairy alternatives like yogurts, cheeses, and milks, as well as across nutritional products. The bigger picture is that if we can make this a reality, we will have built a more efficient, climate-friendly protein system. That’s what excites us – innovations of this scale are rare in the food industry, and I see this as one of the greatest opportunities of my lifetime,” said Milne.
He is confident that Rubisco can become a protein staple within five to 10 years.
“Rubisco is one of the most remarkable proteins on our planet – in fact, it’s the most plentiful. For more than a century, scientists have spoken about its nutritional potential, often calling it the ‘utopia protein,’ but the challenge has been how to isolate it from green leaves in a way that makes it usable in food,” said Milne.
“Nutritionally, Rubisco has the strongest amino acid profile of any protein available today, even outperforming whey, which has long been considered the gold standard. It is also highly digestible. Humans have been consuming Rubisco all along – every time we eat a green leaf, that’s the predominant protein we take in – so our bodies are naturally well adapted to process it.”
Leaft has already managed to expand the potential of Rubisco at commercial scale in August, when it launched its first consumer product Leaft Blade – a performance drink that delivers protein in convenience formats for pre-, during, and post-workout sessions.
The collaboration with Lacto Japan will further expand Leaft’s footprint in Asia Pacific.
Leaft’s immediate priority is executing its Japan entry and building strong customer relationships there, noting that while the company has aspirations for other Asian markets, concrete plans beyond Japan are still in the early stages and the focus will remain on Japan in the near future.