Food is in the Air: Solar Foods on Your Next Menu

By Alessandra Angela Gomez

If something were to disappear into thin air, fortunately, food won’t be one of them as Finnish company, “Solar Foods” defied the laws of traditional food production by planting not on solid ground—but through the atmosphere.

By means of the cultivation of growing single-celled bacteria from hydrogen and carbon dioxide, a protein-rich golden powder appears as an eco-friendlier alternative for other proteins typically formed from animals and plants.

Established last 2017, Solar Foods CEO Pasi Vainikka further described its limitless capacity for growth, not just anywhere under the sun – but even in space too.

Independent from the ever-changing climate and weather conditions such as the desert, tropics, and even in freezing places, “Solein” can be produced unfazed, making it land recently in the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Top 11 finalists in Phase 2 of the DeepSpace Food Challenge for further development of various astronaut food.

Crop of the wind

In line with this novel food technology, Solein encompasses the agriculture of feeding microbes with gases and nutrients similar to how beer or wine is brewed, except that fermented sugar is replaced with hydrogen and carbon dioxide, alongside electricity. A sample is initially extracted from soil particles and measured before gas becomes fermented in a bioreactor.

If plants are fed and grown off of soil, these microbes rely on nutrients such as calcium, phosphorus, nitrogen, and potassium. The gas fermentation from the bioreactor then presents itself as a liquid in which cells become rapidly separated from its contents, revealing nutritious powder.

Farmers of this particular procedure are called “production specialists” and look after each step with precision in ensuring the safety of the substance harvested.

The production process is then kept sterile and secure through appropriate lab wear and heavy-duty steel equipment that consist of centrifuges and other reactors.

While the extraction of the final protein could last up to 70 hours, you’re in business as Solein consists of 65-70% protein, 5-8% fat, 10-15% dietary fibres and 3-5% mineral nutrients.

Whether your palette may or may not be in for an unusual neutral taste, mixing this gold-colored powder into your everyday food and drink intake is a great way to add extra proteins to your diet.

Across the world

Acknowledging its competent advancement, Solar Foods had Solein touchdown in stores, particularly in Singapore as approved by the country’s official food agency back in September, 2021.

The Finnish food technology company has yet to proceed with its official commercial sales in production facility, “Factory 01,” plans to begin in 2024. Its expansion for regulatory approval in other countries worldwide is one of their future ventures.

Future for food Sustainability was key for Solein as electricity partly used in the process can come from renewable sources of energy.

Its manufacture does not necessarily take up much of resources and land as it can be created all under one production roof. It caters to address potential food supply problems by enhanced availability and informative transparency of the protein we consume in certain food products.

Solein then serves as a tangible blueprint for other food and nutrient sources to possibly scale up, allowing us to experience the science behind food formed from air on a broader spectrum. When it comes to the future of food supply and its longevity, we can certainly learn to flip the pages for our next meal to be green and contain environmentally friendly ingredients.