Plantelo is a plant based Protein startup from India.
We are cultivating Azolla and Duckweed for Protein.
We would like to collaborate with Plant based protein extractors in the development line. Any Indian protein extractors could help and guide us. Duckweed protein is the super food of the future
Hi Bhaskar, could you tell us more about this?
What duckweed is, what specific characteristics make it a superfood, and why this is preferable to other forms of plant protein?
Duckweed is a small, fast-growing aquatic plant that floats on the surface of water bodies. It belongs to the Lemnaceae family and is characterized by its tiny leaves and roots. Despite its size, duckweed carries immense potential, earning it the title of “superfood of the future.”
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Nutritional Powerhouse: Duckweed is incredibly nutritious, packed with proteins, vitamins (including vitamin B12), minerals, and essential amino acids.
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Sustainable Food Source: Duckweed cultivation requires minimal land, water, and resources compared to traditional crops, making it highly sustainable and environmentally friendly.
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Rapid Growth: Duckweed has an astonishing growth rate, with some species doubling their biomass in just a couple of days, enabling high yields in a short time.
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Efficient Nutrient Absorption: Duckweed efficiently absorbs nutrients, including nitrogen and phosphorus, helping to mitigate water pollution in bodies such as ponds and wastewater treatment systems.
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Climate Change Resilience: Duckweed can thrive in a variety of climates and water conditions, making it resilient to climate change impacts and usable in diverse regions.
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Water Conservation: Duckweed cultivation can occur in water bodies with varying water qualities, including wastewater, utilizing water resources that would otherwise go underutilized.
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Animal Feed: Duckweed serves as an excellent source of feed for livestock, poultry, and fish due to its high protein content, promoting sustainable animal agriculture.
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Waste Management: Duckweed can be used in wastewater treatment systems to absorb and convert excess nutrients, helping to mitigate eutrophication and water pollution.
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Carbon Sequestration: Duckweed can effectively capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, contributing to carbon sequestration and combating climate change.
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Biofuel Potential: Duckweed holds promise as a biofuel feedstock due to its high lipid content, providing a renewable and sustainable energy source.
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Food Security: With its rapid growth and high nutritional value, duckweed offers a potential solution to global food security challenges by providing a nutrient-dense food source.
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Biodiversity Enhancement: Duckweed cultivation creates habitats for various microorganisms and small aquatic organisms, enhancing biodiversity in water ecosystems.
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Economic Opportunities: The widespread adoption of duckweed cultivation can generate employment and economic opportunities in agriculture, food processing, and biotechnology sectors.
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Reduced Land Pressure: As duckweed can be cultivated on water bodies, it helps reduce the pressure on land for food production, allowing for the conservation of natural habitats.
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Sustainable Development: The utilization of duckweed as a superfood aligns with the principles of sustainable development, promoting social, economic, and environmental well-being.
In summary, duckweed’s nutritional value, sustainability, rapid growth, and versatile applications make it a transformative plant with the potential to address global challenges, improve food security, mitigate pollution, and contribute to a more sustainable and resilient future planet.
Please connect with us for collaboration and support.
www.plantelo.in
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Are Azolla and Duckweed plants native to the regions where it is grown, processed and sold?
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Is there more information on these plants and India specifically?
Azolla and Duckweed are available in India. But they are not commerically cultivated. When it is commercially grown, we need to take lot of care as it will be used as feed .
We are commercially growing in India, you can support us . We are startup cultivating Azolla and Duckweed for protein. You can support us in terms of investments in our startup.
Hi Bhaskar, Thanks for sharing! Loved it! I can’t believe the plants that we used to consider unused and waste contains a significant % of protein.
I got the sense from the environmental pov, it makes sense in fact better than many of the current Plan based protein sources. However, if you can do a math and display us on net CO2 reduction compared to animal and other plant-based protein that will be super helpful for all of us.
Also, even if you are getting a call from the Rainmatter team, you have to answer the following questions
- The life cycle of the entire process
- The brief of economics and conversions - you can explain this through an example of manufacturing one KG of Protein
- Plantation by self might not be sustainable and hence how are you planning to educate farmers? Or are you thinking to do this in-house?
- Price comparisons with other sources of plant-based protein etc
Meanwhile, Congratulations on identifying the opportunity. On Grove, we have many folks working on Plant-based protein. You will get to learn a lot! 
Hi Suman,
I’m happy for the excitement you showed.
Duckweed and Azolla had a great capability to absorb CO2 . They are also called as Carbon sequesters.
I cannot calculate accurate calculations but i can tell you a rough maths.
For every 10kg of Fresh Duckweed, nearly 1.8kg of co2 is absorbed. It is 10 times more than the Soya and 7 times more than Maize.
I had done lot of research on Duckweed and Azolla for plant protein. These need to be cultivated in-house as we need for human protein.
If we engage farmers to grow, it would cost around 20lakhs per acre for infrastructure.
The better idea is not to engage farmers and grow In-house.
You all can support us with little investments in our startup.
Please feel to contact us
WhatsApp : 9676434667
Bhaskar, it is okay if you don’t know right now, my friend, but you have to and you Can - you have to do everything. If anyone is going to give you money, they would like to know everything. And this is not new - that’s how the world works!
Here is one essay I wrote last year, see if you can do similar (sorry, better) math and share the results, so the team has the incentive to have a call with you.
Gaur & Chopra Escape Velocity Grant - Inverted Passion (They offer a “no question ask” 50K grant, please apply, you may get that).
PS: I am not in the team officially, but unofficially, I am all in with the mission. Also, our world functions, not the way we assume in our younger age. And the truth is no one is going to invest in anything even INR 1 without having the confidence that they can get their investment back. Unfortunately, that’s how the current system works