Fermentation has a long, rich history in food production, from beer and wine, to yogurt and cheese, leavened bread and coffee, miso and tempeh, sauerkraut and kimchi, to name just a few of the tasty things we can consume thanks to a chemical process thought to date back to the neolithic period. But if this 2017-founded Finnish startup, Solar Foods, has its way fermentation could have a very special place in the future of human food too.<\/p>\n
The industrial biotech startup is working on bringing a novel protein to market \u2014 one it says will offer a nutritious, sustainable alternative to animal-derived proteins. The product, a single cell protein it\u2019s branding Solein, is essentially an edible bacteria; a single cell microbe grown using gas fermentation. Or, put another way, they\u2019re harvesting edible calories from hydrogen-oxyidizing microbes.<\/p>\n
\u201cTechnically it\u2019s like a brewery,\u201d explains CEO and co-founder Dr Pasi Vainikka in an interview with . \u201cLike fermentation technologies are. It\u2019s not that strange [a process] \u2014 there is this one difference, which is the feedstock.\u201d<\/p>\n
The production of Solein requires just a handful of \u2018ingredients\u2019: Air, water and energy (electricity) \u2014 which means there\u2019s no need for vast tracts of agricultural land to be given our to making this future foodstuff. It could be produced in factories located in remote areas or inside cities and urban centers.<\/p>\n
Nor indeed are other foods needed to feed it to create an adequate yield, as is the case with rearing livestock for human consumption. So the promise looks immense. (As Vainikka argues: \u201cLand use and energy use are the two main problems of human kind \u2014 and the rest follows from these two.)<\/p>\n
Nutritionally speaking, Solein resembles some existing foodstuffs \u2014 sitting between dried meat, dried carrot or dried soy in terms of the blend of vitamins, amino acids, proteins (overall, it\u2019s 65% protein), per Vainikka. \u201cSo it\u2019s very familiar but it\u2019s a bit [of a] new combination,\u201d he suggests, adding: \u201cThe taste is very mild, very neutral.\u201d (A mild taste may not sound especially scintillating for the tastebuds but it means it\u2019s easy to include as an ingredients in a wide range of foods without the need for a strong flavor to be masked.)<\/p>\n
While Solar Foods has essentially discovered a new species through its fermentation process, the microbe itself obviously hasn\u2019t just appeared on planet Earth \u2014 and is likely very ancient; perhaps even hundreds of millions of years old. So there\u2019s a fascinating blend of old and new coming together in the startup\u2019s bioreactor.<\/p>\n
Why is finding new forms of protein important? The problem Solar Foods is aiming to tackle is that the environmental costs of livestock-based meat production are indisputably massive \u2014 whether you\u2019re talking unsustainable land and water use; climate-heating emissions and pollution; and animal welfare concerns. But what if you could produce billions of nutritious meals without the need to deforest huge swathes of land and slaughter masses of livestock to produce the food? What if humanity could feed itself and stop consuming the planet in the process?<\/p>\n
That\u2019s the promise and the core differentiator that Solar Foods claims vs animal-derived proteins.<\/p>\n
A Solar Foods bioreactor for producing Solein (Image credits: Solar Foods)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
If you compare Solein to the growing gaggle of plant-based meat alternatives, they do still rely upon land being farmed to produce the necessary plants \u2014 whether soy or pea or oat etc \u2014 that form the basis of their products. Although they need far less land than meat production requires so the environment upside is still very real. But Solar Foods sees itself blending into this competitive mix \u2014 selling Solein to companies producing plant-based foods as another ingredient they can use to cook up nutritious, environmentally friendly meals.<\/p>\n
\u201cCereals, vegetables, fruits, herbs aren\u2019t going anywhere,\u201d says Vainikka, discussing how Solein might fit into an evolved food production system. \u201cSo if we go back to the original problem \u2014 80% of all the problems that have to do with food, whether it\u2019s loss of natural habitat or forest loss or whatever, has to do with the industrialized animal production\u2026 So actually Solein could solve 80% of the problem but 20% of the calories because mostly we are, on a calorie basis, eating carbohydrates.\u201d<\/p>\n
And if you\u2019re excited about the promise of lab-grown meat \u2014 which is also seeking to de-link protein production from land use \u2014 Vainikka says the startup is supportive of such efforts since, once again, it\u2019s spying potential customers as he says cultivated\/lab-grown meat producers could use Solein to feed the cell cultures they\u2019re using to grow slaughter-free steaks.<\/p>\n
So use-cases for Solar Foods\u2019 edible bacteria look broad, provided people are willing to eat it (or have it fed to something in their food chain). Conceivably it could even be used as a feedstock for livestock \u2014 although the startup\u2019s messaging is focused on the need to transform a broken food system and enter \u201cthe era of sustainable food production\u201d, as its website puts it.<\/p>\n
It is also working on developing a closed-loop system in which the sole byproduct of its production process \u2014 water containing bits of the Solein protein \u2014 would be continuously recycled back into production of more of the foodstuff. And if it can pull that off, the edible bacteria could potentially function as a life support system for humans on space missions where the timescales are too long for astronauts to rely on food supplies brought with them from Earth (such as, for eg, a mission to Mars).<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe specific thing that we think is different in what we\u2019re doing \u2014 compared to anything else on the market today \u2014 is that we don\u2019t use any agriculture in the foods,\u201d Vainikka tells . \u201cElectricity and carbon dioxide are the main ingredients \u2014 instead of sunlight and carbohydrates or oils. So that\u2019s the fundamental point where the disconnection of food production from agriculture happens.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s our thing. And the reason to do that is once you can de-link the connection between use of land and land-use impacts and food production then basically all the environmental benefits fall on your lap that there can be in relation to food production.\u201d<\/p>\n Down here on Earth, being able to unhitch food production from the vagaries of seasonal weather and other factors that can have major impacts on agricultural yields \u2014 such as pests, natural disasters, issues with supply chains specific to farming, and so on \u2014 is another touted advantage for Solar Foods\u2019 approach. \u201cSecurity of supply\u2026 consistency and quality,\u201d says Vainikka, checking off some of the added advantages he says the edible protein offers vs traditional farming, i.e. on top of the massive heap of land-delinking-based environmental gains which could \u2014 for example \u2014 support a mass reforestation of farm land, promoting biodiversity and fighting global warming since trees suck up CO2.<\/p>\n Solein looks like a no brainer on the environmental front. But one key component of its production \u2014 energy; electricity \u2014 is facing supply issues of its own in Europe at present, in the wake of Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine. (Russia being a major but unreliable supplier of gas to Europe.)<\/p>\n Solar Foods\u2019 long term bet is on energy production costs being brought down (or, well stabilized) by widespread access to cheap renewables \u2014 such as wind and hydro energy in the north of Europe and solar in the sunny south. Thing is, for now, the European energy markets are typically structured so that the wholesale price of energy is linked to the cost of the most expensive type of energy (fossil fuel derived), despite there already being a fair amount of renewable energy available which is far cheaper to produce. (Hence why if the price of gas goes up the wholesale price of energy rises, and the bill payer must pay more, even if their energy supplier sources their energy from cheaper to produce renewable sources.)<\/p>\n Since the Ukraine war started, Europe has been facing an exacerbated supply vs demand issue. And over the past several months it\u2019s been hard for Europeans to escape energy price spikes as their governments have sought to reduce reliance on Russian gas imports \u2014 shrinking energy supply options and helping keep war-spiked wholesale prices high.<\/p>\n The coming winter looks very grim, with Russia recently electing to entirely shutter gas exports via its Nord Stream pipeline to Germany in what looks like an attempt to weaken Western support for the pro-Ukraine sanctions. So energy supply in Europe has become a weapon of economic war.<\/p>\n It\u2019s an incredibly volatile situation but one thing is clear: Europe\u2019s \u2018competitive\u2019 marginal-cost-based energy markets are in desperate need of structural reform \u2014 to reflect the cheaper production costs of renewables and ensure consumers and businesses aren\u2019t at the mercy of fossil fuel volatility and cripplingly high prices linked to Russian aggression.<\/p>\n But, in the meanwhile, with electricity being a key component of Solar Foods\u2019 process, the startup is having to manage what Vainikka \u2014 who has a background in energy economics that he says allows him to understand where the markets are headed \u2014 refers to with classic Nordic understatement as \u201cturbulence\u201d.<\/p>\n Solar Foods CEO, Dr Pasi Vainikka (left) and CTO Juha-Pekka Pitkanen (Image credits: Solar Foods)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n He suggests Solar Foods may therefore need to wait out the current energy crisis before it\u2019s able to scale commercial production of Solein in a way that\u2019s economically viable \u2014 though it\u2019s banking on Europe being able to find a way through to more stable electricity prices in the not too distant future. (In recent days, the Commission has said it will be coming with an emergency reform plan to curb energy prices \u2014 both in the short term and over the longer run, to ensure prices reflect cheaper renewables.)<\/p>\n \u201cAt the moment we shouldn\u2019t make electricity supply agreements for our factory. We can\u2019t be on the market today to make those agreements,\u201d confirms Vainikka. \u201cBecause of this [energy price volatility] \u2014 it\u2019s a fact. The second [thing] is we are quite happy that we are not fermenting natural gas \u2014 we are fermenting electricity. So we have an opportunity to make a good deal after turbulence.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe need to replace fossil fuels with electricity so we need a lot of new generation capacity which is also a problem in the market but we\u2019re confident that this works,\u201d he adds. \u201cUnfortunately there is this turbulence now.\u201d<\/p>\n Solar Foods is pressing on regardless of the current energy crisis.<\/p>\n It\u2019s in the process of building its first factory \u2014 actually a demo facility, as a step on the road to future commercial scaling up of Solein production \u2014 at a cost of around \u20ac40M, drawing on backing from a number of VC funds since 2017, over seed and Series A rounds, as well as raising debt financing (such as \u20ac15M from Danske Bank Growth earlier this year).<\/p>\n The demo facility at least won\u2019t have major energy requirements to run. (Although he says it\u2019s still holding off on signing an energy supply contract for now.)<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll manage the turbulence but of course it would be better for it not to continue too long,\u201d says Vainikka. \u201cWe\u2019re using this demo [facility] operated by one wind turbine to prove that this scales \u2014 but the real factories would be 100x larger in terms of energy use, 50x larger \u2014 and it would need rather 50 turbines to run a huge facility that will produce half a billion meals. Then you must get a good [energy supply] contract and if we were investing into that factory now it might be postponed because of the turbulence.\u201d<\/p>\n With the demo factory set to come on stream in 2023, Solar Foods\u2019 hope is the first consumer product containing Solein will be on the market by the end of next year (or, failing that, in early 2024). <\/span>Which global market will get the first commercial taste of the novel protein will depend on regulatory clearances. <\/span><\/p>\n Solar Foods has applied for clearance in multiple jurisdictions but can\u2019t predict whether regulators in Europe or the US or Asia will be first with approval, given variances in this process. (But Vainikka says it\u2019s possible the first clearance could happen this year.)<\/span><\/p>\n What the first product for sale to consumers that contains Solein will be also isn\u2019t yet clear.<\/p>\n Vainikka<\/span> suggests a few possibilities \u2014 such as that it could be added to existing foods like breakfast cereals or vegan meals for fortification purposes (owning to its vitamin and mineral content, such as iron and B vitamins); or as a main ingredient in plant-based meat replacement products, replacing stuff like pea protein. Or he says it could be used as an egg-replacement in pasta or pastry production. Or as a principle ingredient in ice cream or yogurt (or even to make a spreadable faux cheese).<\/p>\n \u201cWe leave the final formulation and product development for our customers so that we can empower them to renew categories,\u201d he suggests. \u201cAnd make having a food an act for good.\u201d<\/p>\n Image credits: Solar Foods<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cFrankly as a company we think that it might be a good idea to focus on what we master \u2014 which is this conversion-fermentation; producing this ingredient and so that it would have the functionalities needed for food products,\u201d he continues, expanding on Solar Foods\u2019 decision to stay in its biotech lane. \u201cThere are so many, so huge, or so experienced or so old [food] companies on the market who have already access to the consumer, all the experience regarding textures, product development regarding all kinds of plant-based ingredients and so on. So when we introduce Solein into the market you would not only need to get everything right, what we are doing and mastering now, but also the final product \u2014 of course taste and texture is decisive.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo that\u2019s a heavy investment program that we\u2019ve dived into,\u201d he adds, emphasizing the still extensive range of requirements for developing a product that\u2019s designed even to be an ingredient in processed foods that people eat.<\/p>\n \u201cNutrition must be there\u2026 then second is safety, then functionality, of course \u2014 how it works and forms texture \u2014 and then scaling and production technology; who has it, how does it work, is it scalable, and how does the supply chain work \u2014 so who\u2019s really the gatekeeper? So this we are in the middle of now\u2026 A lot will happen in the next 12-16 months,\u201d he predicts.<\/p>\n While Solar Foods won\u2019t be a food product maker itself it does have an R&D lab where it carries out culinary experiments with its product \u2014 and images on its website show a selection of demo foodstuffs, from chicken-style chunks served with pasta, to soup, bread and a breakfast smoothie, all with a distinctive rich yellow hue.<\/p>\n In its refined form \u2014 i.e. after it\u2019s passed through Solar Foods\u2019 electrolysing and fermenting bioreactors and been dried \u2014 Solein takes the form of a yellow powder (the hue is down to betacarotene which it naturally contains).<\/p>\n The strong color makes it looks a bit like a custom blend of turmeric and cumin. But taste-wise it\u2019s nothing like that strong. Per Vainikka, one expert taster who sampled it suggested it was akin to dried carrot. But whether or not you\u2019re a fan of carrots is besides the point; he emphasizes that the taste is mild enough that it can be easily masked in whatever food product it was being incorporated into \u2014 just without the added nutrients going anywhere.<\/p>\n For example, in the sample case of adding Solein to pasta, Vainikka says it would \u2014 nutritionally speaking \u2014 be akin to eating, say, a plate of spaghetti bolognese with all the nourishment derived from an animal-based ingredient but without the need to have any minced meat on the plate. Which, well, might take some swallowing for those used to consuming traditional (and oftentimes culturally significant) recipes. (An Italian I described this meat-less but nutritionally meat-like pasta dish to at a dinner party I attended recently was visibly shocked at the prospect and a second Italian she started to explain the concept to responded by suggesting we should focus on having fun eating the actual food on our plates instead of talking about, er, such high concept stuff, so, well, there may be some acceptance humps in the short term.)<\/p>\n But as plant-based faux meats advance in taste and texture it\u2019s easy to envisage creative food producers being able to whip up something that has a meat-like taste and texture and \u2014 thanks to the addition of Solein \u2014 is also imbued with similar levels of protein, iron and vitamins as actual meat. And that could be a strong selling point for consumers, especially with the current food fad for high protein eating.<\/p>\n Other food ideas Solar Foods has been experimenting with in its labs are \u2018cheese\u2019 ball lollypops, mayonnaises and dressings, pancakes and plenty more besides.<\/p>\n Image credits: Solar Foods<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Vainikka says he hopes the first commercial food to contain the ingredient won\u2019t be a burger \u2014 since there are so many meat-alternative patty options out there already. But he suggests it could be a \u201cmeat like bite\u201d \u2014 something akin to a nugget \u2014 such as might be be served in an Asian hot-pot or similar. \u201cThen yogurt, ice cream, soup, bakery pastry application is something that might go first,\u201d he postulates.<\/p>\n \u201cYou could imagine it could be a frozen food, fresh or even on the street kitchen of Asian city,\u201d he also suggests, saying the startup is keen to branch out and \u201cappreciate different food cultures on the planet\u201d \u2014 so it can \u201ctry to explain how Solein could be an ingredient in different kinds of dishes from the Asian hot pots to burger patties to soups or pastries or whatever\u201d.<\/p>\n Food is of course not only cultural but individual tastes can be hugely personal \u2014 and\/or political. So once Solein leaves Solar Foods\u2019 factories and arrives in customers\u2019 commercial kitchens that\u2019s where all these localizing product and branding challenges will really kick in \u2014 as buyers will have to work on figuring out how best to blend it in with other taste and cultural considerations or indeed make its presence stick out loudly (at least on the packet) where shouting about sustainability benefits might be the best way to reap big sales in their particular target market.<\/p>\n One thing looks clear: The future of food won\u2019t be dull \u2014 or even uniformly yellow-hued. A full rainbow of possibilities for alternative eats are coming down the pipe \u2014 and the environmental challenges we face, as a species, demand we find appetite to consume them.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Fermentation has a long, rich history in food production, from beer and wine, to yogurt and cheese, leavened bread and coffee, miso and tempeh, sauerkraut and kimchi, to name just a few of the tasty things we can consume thanks to a chemical process thought to date back to the neolithic period. But if this […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1199060,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1199059","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-celebrity-gossip"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2022\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1199059","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2022\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2022\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2022\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2022\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1199059"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2022\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1199059\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2022\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1199059"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2022\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1199059"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2022\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1199059"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Europe\u2019s energy crisis bites<\/h2>\n
![\"Solar](\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/gp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/pasi_vainikka_and_juha-pekka_pitkanen_2.jpg\")
<\/p>\nGood food and food for good?<\/h2>\n
![\"Solein,](\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/gp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Solein_image_01.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Solein\"](\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/gp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Solein_image_12.jpg\")
<\/p>\n