Housing crisis: Only 300 properties available for rent in Dublin
While supply is becoming virtually nonexistent, rents are increasing faster than anytime in the last 16 years
The invention promises to be revolutionary as it can decouple food production from agriculture and its environmental impacts
Solar Foods is the name of a Finnish food tech company, which has invented a single-cell protein called solein – a neutral-tasting orange powder that promises to completely transform the way food is produced in the future. Solein is neither plant-based, nor animal-based, and although it will be industrially produced, its creation will actually result in much fewer emissions to the environment than that of its organic counterparts.
The entrepreneurs, however, are quite optimistic that their invention will revolutionize food production since it can be easily scaled up. Solein production is similar to wine fermentation and only requires air and minerals to feed the protein cells.
According to a press release, the company recently signed a credit facility with Danske Bank Growth for the construction of its first factory in the Finnish city of Vantaa. The plant, called Factory 01, is set to start operating and producing solein in 2023.
Although the process will be industrial, the experts behind it explain that it shouldn’t be viewed as synthetic. It will be a case of ‘shortcutting’ Nature’s way with the addition of science.
Dr Juha-Pekka Pitkänen, co-owner and Chief Technology Officer at Solar Foods, explains that it all starts with a microbe that is found in nature. He then detailed the process for Food24:
“The microbes are cultured and grown with air and electricity as the primary resources in a fermentor akin to the ones used in breweries and wineries. For the microbes to grow, they will need food. Our air-capture device captures carbon dioxide and water from the air. The water that is collected is then split with renewable electricity into hydrogen and oxygen.
The microbes are fed carbon dioxide, hydrogen and mineral nutrients that include nitrogen, calcium, phosphorus and potassium. These are the same nutrients that plants normally absorb through their roots from the soil. The microbes eat these ingredients to grow and multiply. As the liquid grows thicker, some of the slurry is continuously removed and dried. The resulting dried powder is solein, which is made up of whole cells that are up to 70% protein.”
Solein thus not only has the capacity to solve food security issues, which in recent months have returned to the top ranks of global concerns, but it can do so in an astoundingly sustainable fashion. The new protein is about 10 times more climate-friendly than most plant-based proteinsand about 100 times more climate-friendly than meat.
It also takes just a fraction of the amount of water to produce solein, making it suitable for bio-farming in water-scarce climates. The startup has pointed out that it can be grown in the most arid and inhospitable environments, such as Antarctica or the Sahara. This can free food provision from its dependence on climate conditions.
Its creators explain that solein is a powder that can serve as an added ingredient to virtually all meals and food products, such as pasta, breads, plant-based drinks and dairy, or even as a supplement.
It can be a great ingredient for sweet and savoury snacks. It can also be used to make non-dairy foods like vegan cheese, ice cream, yoghurt and dairy imitations.
In terms of nutritional value, solein consists of 60–70% protein, 10–15% carbohydrates, 5–8% fat and 3–5% minerals. It is gluten-free, 100% vegan and rich in iron.
The planned production facility in Vantaa will also serve as a platform for scaling up production, allowing investors, financial institutions and other stakeholders to learn about the new production technology.
EU border countries and communities are increasingly growing uneasy about tolerating daily visits from the aggressor country
The local Senate has introduced a package of measures, aiming to curb municipal energy consumption
This is a brand new step in the internationalization strategy of the Italian state railway company plans to expand
Greece is the only country that registered an increase, compared to numbers from July 2022
The flying machines will disperse seed balls in order to try to save the thin and sensitive soil from erosion in the autumn
If the system proves successful, authorities will scale it up to the rest of Dublin
City authorities say that the park would be complete by mid-December
This summer, the Iberian Peninsula has turned into a veritable tinder source ready for disaster
Greece is the only country that registered an increase, compared to numbers from July 2022
EU border countries and communities are increasingly growing uneasy about tolerating daily visits from the aggressor country
The monument will be a creative and literally moving sculpture called ‘Standing Waves’
The famous Zundert Corso returns on 4-5 September 2022
These will be spread across 11 EU countries and will serve to support the EU Missions
The European Commission has accepted to develop the idea
An interview about AYR, one of the 2021 New European Bauhaus Prize winners
A conversation with the President of the European Committee of the Regions, about energy, climate change and the underrated importance of cohesion policy
Interview with Herald Ruijters, Director, Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport (DG MOVE), European Commission
A conversation with the Mayor of Matosinhos, Portugal’s first UN Resilience Hub