| Solar Foods Oy (Solar Foods Ltd) | |
| Type: | Osakeyhtiö |
| Founder: | Juha-Pekka Pitkänen, Pasi Vainikka, Sami Holmström, Jero Ahola, Janne Mäkelä, Jari Tuovinen[1] |
| Location: | Helsinki, Finland[2] |
| Key People: | Pasi Vainikka, CEO |
| Products: | Solein |
| Homepage: | solarfoods.fi |
Solar Foods is a producer of single cell protein (a meat substitute) founded in 2017.
Solar Foods Ltd. manufactures Solein, single cell protein. As well as having a high-protein content (50%), the flour-like ingredient contains 5–10 percent fat, and 20–25 percent carbohydrates. It is reported to look and taste like wheat flour. The product's initial launch is set to be in 2021.[3] [4] [5]
Solein is made by extracting carbon dioxide from the atmosphere (see Direct air capture) and combining it with hydrogen (captured through hydrolysis), nutrients and vitamins. Electricity is needed for the process, but solar energy from Fortum (its partner) is used. A natural fermentation process then occurs[6] which is similar to the one produced by yeast and lactic acid bacteria. The exact hydrogen-oxidizing bacteria species has not been made public, but it is hypothesized to be Cupriavidus necator, Rhodobacter spp. or Rhodopseudomonas palustris.[7]
It's been claimed the product could have a revolutionary impact on food production.[8] [9] The company predicts its products may become more cost efficient than the currently cheapest source of protein (soya from South America) by about 2025. It's been stated that the land efficiency for Solar Foods methods is about 20,000 times greater than for conventional farming.[8]
Michael Le Page for the New Scientist took a more sceptical view, noting that the x20,000 improvement only applies to the factories themselves. If land use for Solar panels is taken into account, then land efficiency only improves by about x10. Despite his doubts over how beneficial the technology will be overall, Le Page stated that "the potential rewards are so immense that we should be pouring vast sums of money into finding out."[10]