Protein made from microorganisms

Solein is based on specific microbes. With carbon dioxide from the air and green hydrogen, these are stimulated to multiply.

A raw material for in vitro meat, too 

Fermentation is a process that was already being used to make wine in ancient Egypt. Yeast transforms the sugar in grape juice into alcohol. “Instead of sugar, we give our microorganisms hydrogen as an energy source and also feed them with CO₂, nitrogen and mineral nutrients,” Dr. Vainikka explains. The organisms convert the hydrogen and carbon dioxide to water and carbon, just as plants do in the process called photosynthesis. “This is how our special microorganisms grow and multiply.” One major advantage is the sheer simplicity of the production process: “Fermentation is not bound by any particular climatic conditions,” Dr. Vainikka says. “So, Solein can be produced anywhere – even in the desert.” CO₂ reacts poorly with other substances. Like hydrogen, it is a gas, so it escapes quickly. Special equipment is therefore needed: “We use a closed tank as a bioreactor to create the mix of gas and liquid that sets the reaction in motion.” 

The CO₂ is subjected to fermentation in a bioreactor filled with soil bacteria, along with nitrogen and hydrogen, as well as phosphorus, calcium, and other minerals.

Solein is made up mostly of protein with some saturated fatty acids. It looks like a flour-like yellow powder and has a mild umami taste, somewhere between savoury-spicy and meaty. It is as easy as soy to process as a meat substitute or for protein drinks. “In principle, it can be used anywhere where milk or meat have been consumed up to now,” Dr. Vainikka affirms. “But you can also use it in soups, as an egg substitute in pasta, as a sandwich spread and in mayonnaise.” Further down the line, Solein could also serve as a raw material for in vitro meat. And it could even be an exciting option in the context of space travel, especially with a view to landing on Mars: Conventional plants will not grow readily in the Martian atmosphere – but Solein probably will. Before finding the microorganisms they now use to make Solein, the scientists went through a systematic screening process. They went out and collected soil samples, adopting the trial-and-error method in their search for suitable microorganisms. Then, having successfully produced Solein, Drs. Vainikka and Pitkänen then had to prove that it was suitable for nutrition.

“We have spent two years and over 1.5 million euros proving that Solein is safe as a food. It has passed all the tests with flying colours,” Dr. Vainikka says. “I have fed myself a Solein-based diet. And we also regularly invite investors and people from the press, to whom we serve food containing Solein.” 

The result is an increasingly thickening mass, from which a slurry can be skimmed. Upon drying, the final product is Solein- a yellowish powder.

The company is committed to interdisciplinary collaboration. “We use hydrogen, as does the petrochemical industry. We use fermentation, as in winemaking,” Dr. Vainikka says, listing the steps involved. “We also create textures, as you would in conventional food production.” Although it is a food company, Solar Foods sees itself primarily as a clean tech enterprise: “We only need about a tenth of the space a plant would need to photosynthesize, and only 1% of the space you need to produce meat,” the Finn reports. This calculation also includes the space needed to generate electricity, which is essential for this foodstuff, so Solein could also serve as an alternative to conventional livestock farming. Plant-based agriculture would be retained, but meat growers could shift their focus. “We don’t expect consumers to change their behaviour,” Dr. Vainikka explains. “People don’t need to accept compromises.” While Solein is obviously not perfectly comparable to meat from animals, it would allow many existing end products to stay around. The only difference is that the production process would be much kinder to the environment – kinder even than in the case of soy. At between 5 and 10 euros per kilo, Solein is already significantly cheaper to buy than meat. Compared with other protein nutrients, it ranks in mid-table. “I myself am a flexitarian,” the 45-year-old says, “but not because of any idealistic considerations.  I don’t see consuming meat as intrinsically wrong. This has just been a natural progression for me.” Giving up carnivorous habits is also a generational issue, he points out: “Red meat is a status symbol for my parents. But for my daughter, it is something you don’t post on social media. I am somewhere between these two realities. When I one day sit in my rocking chair and my grandchildren see meat in my fridge, that will be strange for them – because Solein could be the new normal by then.” 

Dr. Pasi Vainikka holds a master's degree in energy systems, another in energy economics, and a doctorate in process chemistry. He is an associate professor at Lappeenranta University of Technology and previously served as a senior scientist at the Technical Research Centre of Finland. In addition to his role at Solar Foods, Vainikka is involved in various projects, including the development of a pilot plant for air-based fuel production

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