A technology to look out for in the near future : protein from air, minerals and sunlight
Although soya and other protein-rich crops are far more efficient than livestock and fish in providing nutritious food, a company in Finland, Solar Foods, is working on a process that appears to surpass even those [1]
The company produces Solein, an edible protein, using direct-air capture, natural fermentation and renewable energy
According to Solar Foods it takes 1,550 times as much water to produce a kilo of beef than it does to produce the same amount of Solein, and production of Solein is ten times more efficient than that of soy in terms of usable protein yield per acre [2]
The natural fermentation process is similar to the production of yeast. The resulting protein can be added to any food or re-textured with 3D printing
It will be a while before it’s on sale in early 2023, but it looks to be very good news for palates and the planet [3]
However, care needs to be taken that this does not become a way to concentrate control of food supply in the hands of a few corporations, and it does not need to be a reason to stop growing sustainable crops
References
[1] https://solarfoods.fi
[2] https://www.dezeen.com/2019/07/03/solein-solar-foods-design
[3] https://www.foodnavigator.com/Article/2020/09/02/Solar-Foods-prepares-to-commercialise-novel-protein-Solein-in-Q4-2022#
