Solar Foods Creating Food From Air

A company is producing flour using only air and water. It is a high protein flour that could be used as a substitute for any other type of flour or protein powder. It seems science fiction but a company claims to have achieved it. Solar Foods, a Finnish company, has managed to create food from the air. The product they get is a protein powder and they only use CO2, water and electricity to produce it. The powder contains 50% protein, 5-10% fat, 20-25% carbohydrates and tastes similar to that of wheat flour, according to the EMF.

Food From Air

The large amount of CO2 in our atmosphere is undoubtedly one of the biggest environmental problems on Earth. It would be amazing to be able to get rid of greenhouse gases while creating food.

How Do They Do That?

Solar Foods uses a process that captures the carbon present in the air, more specifically in CO2. Once you have separated it, it combines it with water, nutrients and vitamins, all with solar energy, which recreates a natural fermentation process. Solar Foods is using Finland’s natural air, one of the purest in existence.

Flour production is not dependent on soil, weather or rain, so it could be made in countries where agriculture is not possible or even used as food for astronauts. In fact, Solar Foods is already working with the European Space Agency to develop a system that can be used outside of our planet.

This protein produced from the air can be a solution for companies that make vegan “meat”, reducing its environmental impact by using a product that does not need to be grown.

It will begin to be included in products such as protein shakes and yoghurts
Solar Food plans to apply for a “Novel food” license that must be applied for new food that has not been used for human consumption.

Protein can acquire different textures through 3D printing (it can be grouped as fibres to imitate the texture of meat or bread) or it can be used simply as a condiment, as one more ingredient.

Solar Foods hopes to launch the product globally in 2021 when it estimates to produce about 2 million meals a year at a price of 5 euros per kilo.