Nearly one-third of all food produced globally ends up in the trash. That’s not just lost food; it’s a waste of the resources, and a burden to our environment. Each discarded item squanders precious resources like water, energy, and land, while also contributing to greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. Furthermore, this 1/3 does not take into account other sources of food-related waste. A prime example is edible manufacturing byproducts.
Every year, food and beverage manufacturers generate millions of tons of edible byproducts such as spent coffee grounds from coffee production, or brewer’s spent grain from beer production. These materials are still full of untapped nutrition and flavor. When landfilled, they can become a potent source of GHG emissions.
At Aranea, we have developed an alternative to this wasteful cycle; an upcycling technology enabled by our proprietary Aranea fungus. Aranea fermentation quickly and efficiently ‘unlocks’ the nutrition in a wide variety of edible materials.
Through fermentation upcycling we not only limit waste but also create new value. Our aim is to work directly with manufacturers to transform their wasted byproduct into upcycled ingredients, and then into valuable new products. Our approach transforms trash into treasure, paving the way for a more sustainable future.
Super Powders
Super Powders are the ingredients made possible by our flagship Aranea fermentation upcycling. Byproducts are put through a solid-state fermentation process which breaks down proteins into a more digestible form, and increases the availability of nutrients and bioactive compounds. The fermented byproducts are then dried and turned into a powder which can be used as a base ingredient or additive for a wide range of healthy products including snacks and baked goods.
Mycoprotein
Beyond Super Powders, we have successfully used the Aranea to grow mycoprotein using mixed food waste from convenience store bento boxes as a growth medium. The Aranea fungus grows across the surface of the medium, developing a layer of protein rich mycelium (mycoprotein) which could be utilized as a simple, and highly nutritious ingredient in the creation of meat alternative products. More research is needed, but the potential in this solution is massive.
Team
Ken Nyukai, CEO
Ken is a long-time entrepreneur and founder of Tempest Foods. He has spent more than a decade working with and developing the unique fermentation technology Aranea uses.
Nicholas Starrett, Marketing and Business development
Nicholas hails from Seattle Washington and has a background in marketing and hydroponic agriculture, the latter of which gave him first hand experience of how difficult it is for food manufacturers to limit waste.
Team Watanabe,
Product development
More than 20 years of experience in food product development, focusing on baked goods.
Yasunobu Tokuda, Advisor
Having a background in agriculture at Tsukuba University, he is currently a guest lecturer at Meiji University in the department of Agricultural Chemistry.
Join the Aranea network
Interested in learning more about how you or your business can collaborate with Aranea? Reach out to us at hello@aranea.co.jp