Millis agriculture firm granted $1.5M for aquatic plant-based protein research
Photo | Courtesy Crop One Holdings
Crop One grows food crops in indoor controlled environments.
Millis vertical farming company, Crop One Holdings, Inc. and New York-based Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory have received a $1.5 million cost-matching grant from the nonprofit Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research in Washington D.C. to fund research of plant-based protein.
The companies will develop fast-growing aquatic plants of the Lemnaceae family, commonly called duckweed, in controlled environments to provide high-quality protein for human consumption, according to a Monday press release from Crop One.
“Lemnaceae is uniquely suited for the human diet and can supplement our protein needs as the global demand for protein grows,” said Jeffrey Rosichan, FFAR scientific program director. “This research is helping to improve its nutritional value and bring improved controlled environment agriculture technology to bear on expanding its availability to consumers.”
Crop One specializes in controlled environment agriculture, growing crops indoors in clean rooms, eliminating the need for pesticides, and using water more efficiently than outdoor farms.
On Dec. 8, Crop One announced it is opening a 316,000-square-foot vertical farm in Hazle Township, Pennsylvania.
In July, Crop One opened its second farm in Dubai, UAE in partnership with Emirates Flight Catering of Dubai. The 330,000-square-foot facility is expected to produce more than 2 million pounds of produce annually, according to a July press release.
Crop One has operated a farm at its Millis headquarters since 2015 and sells produce under its retail label FreshBox Farms.
WBJ Web Partners
Most Recent
Most Recent
0 Comments