Solar Foods’ new innovative product is made with only air, water, and chocolate!

A Finnish start-up has created an ice cream using a protein powder that is devoid of any dairy or plant-based ingredients.

Solar Foods’ new innovative product is made with only air, water, and chocolate!

Most people know that some ice cream makers use air to cut costs, but this new invention is entirely different. This vegan ice cream is designed to show that we can lower the food industry’s carbon footprint without animal farming.

The company made this unique frozen dessert using Solein – a microbial protein made from air and water.

Specially developed alongside the European Space Agency, the scientists used a process similar to winemaking where bacteria are fed hydrogen, carbon dioxide, and nutrients. The bacteria then release proteins, which are captured and dehydrated into a powder. The resulting powder is 65-70% protein, 5-8% fat, 10-15% dietary fibre, and 3-5% mineral nutrients with a nutritional composition similar to soy or algae.

‘One-of-a-kind’

Singapore has already approved the sale of food products featuring Solein. Initially, the aim was to start selling by 2024, but a chocolate ice cream with Solein is now available in an Italian restaurant Fico in the city-state.

“It is a remarkable opportunity to be the first chef team to introduce a one-of-a-kind ice cream to the world,” Fico’s Chef-partner Mirko Febbrile said in a statement.

“It combines the familiar delicious taste we all love with a unique ingredient produced without relying on traditional agriculture.”

Solar Foods CCO Shilei Zhang added: “If you didn’t know, you could not guess this gelato includes an entirely new, unique, and nutritious ingredient just by tasting it. It looks, feels and tastes just like any other Italian gelato – and that is exactly the idea. Solein is the ‘Intel inside’ of the food industry.

“Solein Chocolate Gelato also fits a perfect fit for this market. Ice cream is highly popular in Singapore: it’s common to see people queuing at ice cream kiosks for a cool treat on a hot Singapore evening. Chocolate is also one of the most popular flavours in ice cream across the world, so it is easy to adapt to local tastes.”

The future of Solein

Solar Foods obtained regulatory approval from Singapore to sell Solein last year.

Although Solar Foods chose ice cream as the first product to introduce in the country,  Zhang said that Solein’s versatility extends beyond gelato, making it suitable for a wide range of sweet and savoury recipes and familiar foods.

Its commercial production facility, Factory 01, is currently under construction in Finland and is expected to start operating in 2024.

Moreover, the food tech brand has partnered with Japan’s Ajinomoto food company to develop new products, which are expected to be announced soon.

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Mohsina Dodhiya

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