COME 2024, consumers will be able to tuck into bread, pasta and plant-based meats that are infused with protein from a powder made from single-cell organisms and common gases from the air.
Singapore will be the first country to try the yellow microbe-based protein Solein – created by Finnish start-up Solar Foods – as it is the first to grant approval for the novel food.
The company said the invention involved years of hunting for edible single-celled organisms from the environment, including soil, mud and forest ground. It did not specify what the microbes are but said they will be fed with gases such as hydrogen, nitrogen and carbon dioxide so that they can construct amino acids, carbohydrates, fats and vitamins that are nutrients for humans.
Carbon dioxide and water will be harvested from the air through a process called direct air capture.
When an electrical current runs through the water – a process called electrolysis – the molecules will be split into hydrogen and oxygen.
“The micro-organisms do the heavy lifting in this process. We are only letting their microscopic lives fulfil their purpose: procreation and diversification,” said Pasi Vainikka, Solar Foods’ chief executive.
The micro-organisms will grow and react with the gases in bioreactors to make Solein. Once harvested, the mass will be dried into the protein-rich powder.
The Solein powder, which comprises 65% to 70% protein, contains all nine essential amino acids required by the human body. The rest of the alternative protein contains fibre, fats and other nutrients.
The mustard-yellow powder has a delicate umami taste, added Vainikka.
This is one of seven novel food products from five companies that Singapore has approved for sale to date – the first was cell-cultured chicken in December 2020 by company Eat Just. — The Straits Times/ANN
