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Solar Foods

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Solar Foods is a producer of single cell protein (a meat substitute) founded in 2017. It focuses on using solar energy to produce food.[3]

Solar Foods Oy (Solar Foods Ltd)
Company typeOsakeyhtiö[1]
Founded2017; 7 years ago (2017)[1]
FounderJuha-Pekka Pitkänen, Pasi Vainikka, Sami Holmström, Jero Ahola, Janne Mäkelä, Jari Tuovinen[2]
HeadquartersHelsinki, Finland[1]
Key people
Pasi Vainikka, CEO[1]
ProductsSolein
Websitesolarfoods.fi

History

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2017–2019

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Solar Foods is a spin-off created from a joint research project on renewable energy between VTT and LUT University,[4] with the idea of creating food from air using electricticy dating back to the 1960s.[5] The research team received international publicity when the team announced in 2017 that it has succeeded in making food from the air.[6] The company was founded by engineering PhDs Pasi Vainikka and Juha-Pekka Pitkänen, along with Sami Holmströmin, Jero Aholan, Jari Tuovisen, and Janne Mäkelän.[6] The company aimed to start the first phase of production in 2021[4] with a plant that can produce 100 tons of protein per year.[7]

By the spring of 2018, Solar Foods had collected a seed funding of 800,000 euros for the construction of a pilot production plant.The main investor was Lifeline Ventures; other investors included VTT Ventures and Green Campus Innovations, an investment company operating on LUT's campus. The company also received a product development loan of over one million euros from Business Finland. Solar Foods started building a bioreactor tank where a kilogram of microbes can be produced daily. The company's previous bioreactor had been about the size of a coffee cup.[6] Solar Foods intended to apply for novel food approval from the EU's Food Safety Agency, EFSA, so that the protein it produces could be used as human food.[6] In the fall, Solar Foods joined the European Space Agency business incubator, intending to develop a system with which food can be prepared on Mars.[5][4] A 40-liter bioreactor would produce the proteins needed by a crew of six.[8] The company had three employees.[6]

In March 2019, Solar Foods received funding of 50,000 euros from the Bank of Åland's Baltic Sea Project.[9] In the same spring, Solar Foods launched its pilot plant, the output of which will be used to develop new products with partners.[10] In the summer, the company said it was planning a protein factory larger than the first factory, producing around 6,000 tons per year.[7] In September, the Fazer Group and Solar Foods announced their partnership. It was part of Solar Foods' financing round, which raised EUR 3.5 million in equity-term convertible bonds from Oy Karl Fazer Ab, Holdix Oy Ab, Turret Oy Ab and Lifeline Ventures.[5] In October, the Atomico angel program joined the group of financiers.[11]

2020–

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By April 2020, the company had received a total of 4.3 million euros in funding. In the summer, the company's pilot plant produced 300 grams of protein per day. It said that it aims to open a facility 100 times larger than the current one in a couple of years. The next scaling up would be factory-scale, a facility about the size of a football field.[12]

In April 2021, the Valtion Ilmastorahasto gave Solar Foods a loan of ten million euros for the new factory.[13] By October, the company had collected EUR 43 million in funding. It said it would start building the Factory 01 factory in Vantaa, where it was to produce around one hundred tons of Solein protein every year from the beginning of 2023.[13]

In spring 2022, Solar Foods made it to the 11 finalists in the second phase of NASA's years-long food competition.[14] The company was awarded in the first stage of the competition.[15] The company also cooperates with European Space Agency[14] In October, Solar Foods received the first novel food permit for its product, in Singapore. It also had license processes going on in the EU, the UK and the United States. The company built its first commercial production plant in Vehkala, Vantaa.[16] An electrolyzer and an 8 metres (26 ft)-diameter bioreactor for growing protein will be installed in the hall.[17] The EU Commission granted IPCEI (Important Project of Common European Interest) status to Solar Foods.[18]

In January 2023, it was reported that Solar Foods had received EUR 33.6 million in IPCEI funding from Business Finland for its hydrogen project.[18] In the summer, the company started selling consumer products in Singapore.[19] Singapore is very dependent on the food production of other countries, as agriculture is small in the country and 90% of food is imported from abroad.[20][19] Cooperation with the Japanese Ajinomoto group was started.[21] In September, it was reported that the company is developing an artificial milk protein, beta-lactoglobulin, with three other organizations. This European Innovation Council-funded Hydrocow project aims to produce milk protein with Xanthobacter, carbon dioxide and electricity.[22][23]

Solein

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Solein
Invented2017
Main ingredientsheat-treated Xanthobacter powder[24]
Nutritional value
(per 100 g serving)
Protein65-70[25] g
Fat5-8 g
Carbohydrate10-15 (fiber) g

Solar Foods Ltd. manufactures Solein, a 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 was set to be in 2021,[26][27][28] but production began in 2024.[29]

Solein is made by extracting carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere (see Direct air capture) and combining it with hydrogen (captured through hydrolysis), mineral nutrients and optionally vitamins. The hydrogen-oxidizing bacteria Xanthobacter sp. VTT-E-193585, also known as Xanthobacter sp. SoF1,[24] is able to use these input gases and nutrients to reproduce and grow in a chemoautotrophic[24] way. It can turn inorganic nitrogen (such as ammonium) into organic nitrogen (like amino acids and proteins).[30][31] Electricity is needed for the process, but solar energy from Fortum (its partner) is used.[32]

According to Solar Foods, the product is "highly functional", having been tested in products such as meat alternative, noodles, and ice cream.[25]

Research

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The bacterium was originally isolated from Baltic Sea shore sediment,[24] specifically from the Turku archipelago.[3]

A 2024 article authored by Solar Food's employees and others evaluates whether the protein-rich powder is genotoxic. Although unheated Xanthobacter components have previously shown to be genotoxic, heat-treated Xanthobacter extracts, including Solein, are not.[24]

Impact

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George Monbiot has claimed the product could have a revolutionary impact on food production with efficiency about 20,000 times greater than for conventional farming.[33][34] However, Michael Le Page for the New Scientist noted that the 20,000× improvement only applies to the factories themselves. If land use for Solar panels is taken into account, then land efficiency only improves by about 10×. 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".[35]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d Kauppalehti. "Solar Foods Oy | Yritys- ja taloustiedot | Kauppalehti". Tärkeimmät talousuutiset | Kauppalehti (in Finnish). Retrieved 2020-10-08.
  2. ^ Lappalainen, Elina (12 April 2020). "Virtuaalitodellisuutta, kvanttitietokoneita, uusia materiaaleja ja laite kuvankäsittelyyn – Tässä ovat Suomen 10 lupaavimmat startup-yritykset 2020" [Virtual reality, quantum computers, new materials and device for image processing - Here are Finland's 10 most promising startups in 2020]. Talouselämä (in Finnish). Retrieved 2020-10-08.
  3. ^ a b "Ruoka | Suomalaisyritys tekee ruokaa luonnonlakeja uhmaavalla tavalla". Helsingin Sanomat. 2023-11-20. Retrieved 2024-05-07.
  4. ^ a b c Miina Rautiainen (31 October 2018). "Ilmasta proteiinia tuottava suomalainen Solar Foods pääsi osaksi Euroopan avaruusjärjestön yrityshautomoa – tavoitteena kehittää järjestelmä ruoan valmistukseen Marsissa" [The Finnish company Solar Foods, which produces protein from the air, became part of the European Space Agency's business incubator - with the aim of developing a system for food production on Mars]. Tekniikkatalous (in Finnish). Retrieved 2020-04-14.
  5. ^ a b c Matti Keränen (17 September 2019). "Makeisista erittäin tunnettu suomalaisyhtiö liittoutuu sähköproteiinia kehittävän startupin kanssa – alkaa tehdä ilmasta ruokaa" [a Finnish company very well known for akeis teams up with a startup developing electric protein - starts making food out of thin air]. Tekniikkatalous (in Finnish). Retrieved 2020-04-08.
  6. ^ a b c d e Elina Lappalainen (23 March 2018). "Kohta sinäkin voit nauttia ilmasta valmistettua proteiinia - Solar Foods -startup hakee elintarvikelupaa" [Soon you too can enjoy protein made from air - the Solar Foods startup is applying for a food permit]. Talouselämä (in Finnish). Retrieved 2020-04-14.
  7. ^ a b "Suomessa onnistuttiin valmistamaan proteiinia ilmasta – mullistava keksintö voi olla yksi ratkaisu maailman ruokapulaan" [In Finland, they managed to make protein out of thin air - a revolutionary invention may be one solution to the world's food shortage]. Yle Uutiset (in Finnish). 17 June 2019. Retrieved 2020-04-16.
  8. ^ I.-Mediat Oy. "Espoolaisessa bioreaktorissa pöhisee munanmakuista avaruuskiljua – suomalainen proteiini-innovaatio nappasi maailman suurimman design-palkinnon" [In the bioreactor in Espoo, there is an egg-flavored space scream - the Finnish protein innovation won the world's biggest design award]. Ilkka-Pohjalainen (in Finnish). Retrieved 2020-04-14.
  9. ^ Sofia Virtanen (2019-03-11). "Ilmasta proteiinia valmistava Solar Foods sai 50 000 euron rahoituksen ja aloittaa tehtaan suunnittelutyön" [Solar Foods, which produces protein from air, received 50,000 euros in funding and will begin the design work of the factory]. Talouselama.fi (in Finnish). Alma Talent.
  10. ^ Elina Lappalainen (2019-04-20). "Talouselämä valitsi Suomen 10 lupaavinta startup-yritystä" [Talouselämä selected the 10 most promising startup companies in Finland]. Talouselama.fi (in Finnish). Alma Talent.
  11. ^ "Finnish angel investor has a taste for Solar Foods". Solar Foods Ltd. 2019-10-01. Retrieved 2020-08-17.
  12. ^ "Uusi tapa tuottaa ruokaa on kuin tieteiselokuvasta! Ravintoa ilmasta tuottava espoolaisyritys tarjoaa ratkaisua maailman ruokapulaan" [The new way of producing food is like something from a science fiction movie! An Espoo company that produces food from the air offers a solution to the world's food shortage]. mtvuutiset.fi (in Finnish). 2020-07-22. Retrieved 2020-08-17.
  13. ^ a b "Elintarviketeollisuus | Suomalainen Solar Foods rakentaa tehtaan, joka tuottaa proteiinia ilmasta ja sähköstä" [Food industry | Finnish Solar Foods is building a factory that produces protein from air and electricity]. Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). 2021-10-26. Retrieved 2021-11-23.
  14. ^ a b "Tämä keksintö voi päätyä astronauttien ruuaksi – suomalaisyhtiö kehitti ruoan, jota seuraavaksi testaa Nasa" [This invention may end up as food for astronauts - a Finnish company developed a food that will be tested by NASA next]. Yle Uutiset (in Finnish). 2023-02-07. Retrieved 2023-02-21.
  15. ^ "Yritykset | Suomalainen Solar Foods voitti Nasan avaruusruokapalkinnon". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). 2021-11-16. Retrieved 2021-11-23.
  16. ^ Joanna Palmén (26 October 2022). "Ilmasta tehty ruoka otti ison harppauksen eteenpäin: "Vertaisin siihen hetkeen, kun ihmiskunta löysi perunan"" [Food made from air took a big leap forward: "I would compare it to the moment when mankind discovered the potato"]. Talouselämä (in Finnish). Retrieved 2023-02-21.
  17. ^ "Suomessa on tapahtumassa kaikessa hiljaisuudessa vetyvallankumous – katso kartalta, yltääkö vihreä siirtymä kotikuntaasi" [A hydrogen revolution is quietly taking place in Finland - check the map to see if the green transition reaches your home county]. Yle Uutiset (in Finnish). 2023-01-30. Retrieved 2023-02-21.
  18. ^ a b Elina Saarinen (2023-01-11). "Yli 60 miljoonaa vihreän vedyn hankkeille" [More than 60 million for green hydrogen projects]. Uusiouutiset (in Finnish). Retrieved 2023-02-21.
  19. ^ a b "What The Food: de la glace vegan à base d'air pour rafraîchir Singapour" [What The Food: Vegan ice cream made from air to cool down Singapore]. ladepeche.fr (in French). Retrieved 2023-10-04.
  20. ^ "A Singapour, un restaurant sert de la soléine, présentée comme la protéine la plus écolo du monde" [Singapore Restaurant Serves Solein, Touted as World's Greenest Protein]. Franceinfo (in French). 2023-05-30. Retrieved 2023-10-04.
  21. ^ Natasha Lomas (2023-06-16). "Make way for a new vegan protein on the menu". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2023-10-04.
  22. ^ "Suomalainen yritys aikoo kehittää mikrobin, jolla saadaan maitoa ilman lehmää" [A Finnish company plans to develop a microbe that can produce milk without a cow]. Yle Uutiset (in Finnish). 2023-09-05. Retrieved 2023-10-03.
  23. ^ "Hydrocow - RWTH AACHEN UNIVERSITY Institut für Angewandte Mikrobiologie - Deutsch". www.iamb.rwth-aachen.de.
  24. ^ a b c d e Klinzing, K; Aabrandt Søndergaard, I; Chirom, T; Whitwell, J; Bisini, L; Marabottini, C; Nesslany, F; Tervasmäki, P; Pitkänen, JP (September 2024). "In vitro genotoxicological evaluation of protein-rich powder derived from Xanthobacter sp. SoF1". Journal of Applied Toxicology. 44 (9): 1347–1360. doi:10.1002/jat.4621. PMID 38730487.
  25. ^ a b "Solein". Solar Foods.
  26. ^ "NASA worked out how to make food out of thin air - and it could feed billions". Retrieved 9 November 2019.
  27. ^ "Finnish Company Uses NASA's Concept to Create Food from Thin Air". Retrieved 9 November 2019.
  28. ^ "This company wants to help cut meat's carbon footprint". 6 November 2019. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
  29. ^ "Superfood protein pulled out of thin air massively scales up production". New Atlas. 2024-04-24. Retrieved 2024-09-27.
  30. ^ HOLMSTROM, Sami; Pitkanen, Juha-Pekka (6 May 2021). "Strains and processes for single cell protein or biomass production". (note: patent FI129574B describes a different, genetically-modified strain, which does not match the company's non-GMO claim. US20240218315A1, which is newer, also focuses on VTT-E-193585.)
  31. ^ Alloul, Abbas; Spanoghe, Janne; Machado, Daniel; Vlaeminck, Siegfried E. (January 2022). "Unlocking the genomic potential of aerobes and phototrophs for the production of nutritious and palatable microbial food without arable land or fossil fuels". Microbial Biotechnology. 15 (1): 6–12. doi:10.1111/1751-7915.13747. ISSN 1751-7915. PMC 8719805. PMID 33529492.
  32. ^ Lascelles, Alice (29 May 2020). "Can making food from CO2 help our overburdened planet?". Financial Times. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
  33. ^ George Monbiot (September 24, 2019). "Lab-grown food will soon destroy farming – and save the planet". The Guardian. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
  34. ^ Apocalypse Cow (Channel 4 2019 documentary)
  35. ^ Michael Le Page (January 10, 2020). "Can we really save the planet by making food 'from air' without farms?". New Scientist. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
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