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Solar Foods is a Finnish food technology and hydrogen fermentation company on a mission to revolutionise global food production.

Solar Foods’ first product is a protein-rich microbial powder, Solein®, that is grown using carbon dioxide and electricity. Solein is a groundbreaking novel food which doesn’t require agriculture, or land in general, to grow. Without the limitations of traditional farming, this method of food production has the potential to transform the sustainability, availability and transparency of what we eat and where food can be produced.

While Solar Foods main focus is on helping transform the food system on Earth, the company also looks to help humanity reach the stars. Solar Foods’ Space & Resilience business researches and develops the possibilities of producing Solein in outer space. Beyond Solein, Solar Foods is researching and developing other potential products that the company’s technological platform could create.

Solar Foods began operating its first commercial-scale production facility, Factory 01, in April 2024. The factory is located in Finland, just ten minutes from the Helsinki airport and half an hour from the Helsinki city center. We estimate Factory 01 will be able to grow a maximum of 160 tons of Solein® annually, scaling up our output a hundred-fold and taking the novel protein’s production to commercial levels.

Solein received its first novel food regulatory approval in September 2022 in Singapore from the Singapore Food Agency (SFA). This allows for the sale of food products containing Solein in Singapore. Solar Foods has filed for novel food dossier for Solein in other key markets such as the EU and UK and plans to seek GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) status assessment for Solein in the United States.

Our next aim is ramping up Solein production with Factory 01. We expect this will also give us a great deal of data and insight into how the production process scales, all information that we can use in upcoming facilities that will scale up production further.

As for the next novel food regulatory approvals, local agencies work in different ways in each market; this means we cannot say with certainty which one will grant the next approval for Solein. Our aim, however, is to enter the United States market in late 2024.

Solar Foods was founded to commercialise the research that was carried out in VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and LUT University (Lappeenranta University of Technology). The founding team wanted to develop a solution for converting CO2 captured from the air into edible calories (food) in order to reverse the effect of all of the released CO2 from burning fossil fuels. To achieve such a complex task, a living single-cell microorganism was identified as the best converter for the job.

After the proof of concept at VTT, Solar Foods was founded in November 2017 and started operations in March 2018.

Solein has been introduced so far in food products in limited editions in Singapore, such as the Solein Chocolate Gelato and Fazer’s Taste the Future snack bar.

With the start of our first commercial-scale production facility, Factory 01 in Spring 2024, we expect to be able to raise annual Solein production to a maximum of 160 tons. This means the production of new Solein-powered food products will be possible on a whole new scale in the near future.

Solar Foods is seeking novel food regulatory approvals for Solein on several key markets, such as the EU, the UK, and the United States. The company’s aim is to enter the United States market in late 2024.

Singapore is one of the most efficient and progressive adopters of novel food in the world. Solein was granted novel food regulatory approval in Singapore in 2022. We have submitted novel food applications in global key markets and the rest will follow later.

Singapore is also a global living laboratory for new foods and food technologies owing very much to its unique food heritage that melts together Malay, South Chinese, Indian and Western cooking traditions. It is also a highly interesting market for Solein as it resonates well with what Solar Foods represents: Singapore has a technologically advanced society, a keen interest in technological innovation, a high level of education, ambitious environmental targets and strategies to increase its locally produced food supply.

Solar Foods is seeking GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) status assessment for Solein soon in the United States, and applications for novel food authorisation have been filed earlier in other key markets such as the UK and the European Union.

Local agencies work in different ways in each market; this means we cannot say with certainty which one will grant the next approval for Solein. Our aim, however, is to enter the United States market in late 2024.

If you are a distributor and interested in what Solein could offer your brand, contact us at info@solarfoods.com.

A list of our biggest investors can be found on our website: https://solarfoods.com/investors-and-partners/

Nasdaq Green Designations are voluntary designations that support increased visibility toward investors looking for sustainable investments.

Both private companies and companies listed on the Nasdaq European markets can attain a Nasdaq Green Designation if they meet the criteria. To achieve the designation, a company needs to have more than 50 percent of its turnover deriving from activities considered green, and less than 5 percent of its turnover must be derived from fossil fuel activities. In addition, more than 50 percent of the company’s investment must be allocated to activities considered green.

Solar Foods received the Nasdaq Green Equity Designation – Private Company in April 2024. Read more about it here.

An IPO is one possibility and the Nasdaq Green Equity Designation allows us to explore that. However, listing on the stock market is just one potential future path for Solar Foods; here and now the designation is meaningful for us for how it bolsters and validates our company’s sustainability credentials.

This is the first time in history humankind can be provided with edible calories that at no point require photosynthesis. So far photosynthetic plants have been the only feasible way to receive energy from the sun to feed humankind. Now, this process can be bypassed in its entirety. Through Solein, a new era begins in the primary production of food and restoring biodiversity. 

In April 2024, we began operating our first large production facility, Factory 01, in Finland. This plant replicates the same bioprocess we have used in our pilot laboratory, just growing it a hundred-fold: we estimate Factory 01 will be able to produce a maximum of 160 tons of Solein annually.  

Early results show that the production process can be scaled up and commercial levels of Solein production are viable. Once Factory 01 demonstrates the production process, our plan is to move to the next scale of production and to expand the network of factories. 

Solein’s biggest ecological footprint comes from the electricity used in its production.

Electricity is used to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen is used as the energy source of Solein’s bioprocess; some of the oxygen is also used, while some of it is released into the atmosphere . The electricity used for Solein production must be from a source that does not involve the burning of fossil fuels. Globally, these sources are solar, wind, hydro or nuclear power. At our first commercial factory we have committed to the use of wind power sourced from the Nordic electricity market.

With current technologies the efficiency of converting electricity to calories is about 20%. Compared to plants, by hectare, the yield in Solein is 10 times more than photosynthetic plants. This holds true even if the electricity for Solein production came from solar panels (which require a sizeable amount of land area).

Theoretically speaking, looking at our home country of Finland, if all the calories consumed by Finns came from Solein, the entire food production of the nation would require 10% of the primary energy use of Finland and one-third of the electricity consumed today.

No. Solein is the first food ingredient of its kind, made with gas fermentation. It is the first edible protein that doesn’t require sugar or another solid feedstock to produce it, but instead uses abundant carbon dioxide and hydrogen to grow.​ 

Based on a lifecycle analysis study, Solein’s environmental impact is about 10% of most plant-based proteins and about 1% of meat.  

To the best of our knowledge, Solein is the most sustainable protein in the world. Read more about Solein’s footprint compared to other proteins 

No single food product can crack the global food crisis on its own – but ingredients like Solein can be a big part of the solution and the future of food. 

Based on scientific evidence, Solein is the most sustainable protein in the world. If it would replace meat in the human diet, the carbon footprint of what we eat would hugely diminish and a significant part of the climate crisis could be solved. 

Solein production does not require arable land and it is very efficient in water use. Therefore, Solein can provide nourishment for water-scarce areas and regions bereft of agricultural land and suitable farming conditions. It could be farmed in Antarctica or in the Sahara, paving the way to resolving global environmental problems and hunger.  

We are not proposing that people would live on Solein alone; Solein can help lower the carbon emissions of food production, but other solutions are also needed for a sustainable planet. 

The original single-cell microorganisms used in Solein were collected from Finnish nature, where they are abundant. The microbes are cultured and grown with air and electricity as the primary resources in a fermentor akin to the ones used in breweries and wineries. The bioprocess actually resembles brewing of beer in some ways.

The Solein microbes are put in a liquid – called a growth medium – within the fermentor. The liquid is continuously supplied with small bubbles of hydrogen and carbon dioxide. They are also fed small amounts of nutrients including nitrogen, calcium, phosphorus and potassium, which are the same nutrients that plants normally source through their roots from the soil. The microbes eat these ingredients to grow and multiply.

After this, the resulting yellow slurry enters downstream processing where it is heat treated and most of the water is removed through separation. The slurry is dried into a powder: this end product is Solein, ready to be packed, shipped and used in the food industry.

For a deeper understanding of the process, read this blog text from our CTO Juha-Pekka Pitkänen.

One kilogram of Solein requires 1.85 kg of CO2.

Factory 01 is Solar Foods’ first factory: it began operations on H1 2024. While other cellular agriculture production does exist, Factory 01 also introduces scale into the picture. It is the first facility capable of making Solein-powered products available to consumers on a wider scale.​

Factory 01 is also a multidisciplinary achievement for us: it is the result of a team that combines deep expertise in science, technology, regulatory processes and industrial production.

Finland has several characteristics that made it a good location for our first factory. One is the wide availability of green power: access to electricity from renewable and low-carbon sources is important for Solein production.​

Another factor is the environmental conditions. Finland’s growth season is relatively short and the cold season relatively long. This makes the country a great location to showcase that Solein can be viably grown year-round even in adverse weather conditions. ​

The fact that we are also familiar with local Finnish bureaucracy and processes also helps.​

The factory produces a maximum of 160 tons of Solein annually. This is approximately a hundred-fold increase from Solar Foods’ prior production capability.​

Solein can be used in a variety of ways in food products. If you were to use 20 grams of the novel protein in a single meal, Factory 01’s production could power 8 million meals a year with Solein.

Factory 01 is a high-tech and highly automated facility. Much like in other modern food production, the factory’s “farmers” will do most of their work in the facility’s control room rather than on the factory floor.

Around a dozen bioprocess and production specialists is a team that can operate Factory 01. This number might grow as the production process gets underway and we recognize more specific needs for its optimization. ​

​In addition to production professionals, Factory 01 will be home to our laboratory and food development teams, and other personnel.

Scaling up production will generally speaking lower the per unit price of Solein. ​

​Our long-term target is to bring the protein’s production cost, and that way its sale price, to the level of another popular protein that is often used to replace meat and lower the environmental footprint of foods: soy.

Yes, we are already planning Factory 02. However, there are still many details big and small that have to be answered before it becomes a reality.

Factory 01 will provide us with a great deal of insight and data about the production process; this will help us plan the blueprint for future production facilities. Where the next factory will be located is also still to be determined – but since Solein can be grown virtually anywhere in the world, so could Factory 02 be located virtually anywhere in the world.

All the main ingredients of Solein – carbon (CO2), hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen – can be captured from the air. The microorganisms feed on those ingredients. About 5 percent of the end-product consists of inorganic nutrients, such as phosphorus and calcium, which cannot be taken from the air.

To learn more about the bioprocess behind Solein, you can watch this video from our Chief Technology Officer Juha-Pekka Pitkänen.

Solein cells, like all other living material on planet Earth, are comprised of carbon (46% of weight in Solein), hydrogen (6.5%), oxygen (25%) and nitrogen (12%). Also, Solein production requires some minerals to provide elements, such as sulphur, calcium, iron, phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, zinc, potassium, and sodium – approximately 20 elements that are essential to life. These are elements that plant roots would ingest from the soil. In a full air-capture concept for Solein production, C, H, O, and N are all sourced from the air, while nutrient minerals still need to be sourced from added nutrients.

Read more about Solein’s chemical composition from this blog by our CTO, Dr Juha-Pekka Pitkänen

The source of nitrogen for Solein is ammonia (NH3) as an ammonium (NH4+) water solution in the growth medium. Solein factories have been planned to include their own green ammonia production through the Haber-Bosch synthesis. If ammonia production is not done locally, green ammonia is sourced from the market.

For the time being, the figures reported for Solein’s environmental impact assume the use of ammonia produced with natural gas. About 20% of the remaining climate impact reported for Solein production is due to the use of ammonia.

A closer look at the role of nitrogen and ammonia in the Solein bioprocess in our blog

Solein production does not permanently sequester carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, it stores it only for a short time. Therefore, it cannot be considered a carbon sequestration technology but instead close to carbon neutral. CO2 is removed from the atmosphere with direct air capture (DAC) technology, but once the food is consumed, the CO2 returns to the atmosphere through respiration.

At Factory 01, our first commercial-scale production facility, DAC technology allows us to sequester approximately a third of the CO2 needed for the bioprocess directly from the air; the rest is sourced externally. In future facilities, we hope to explore the possibility of sourcing all CO2 needed through direct air capture.

If conventional plant or animal proteins are replaced by Solein, this can free up land. If the land is let to rewild, it would become a net sink of carbon dioxide. This way Solein production can have a carbon negative effect.

Primarily, Solein is meant to be enjoyed on Earth, but due to its production method and nutritional richness Solein is also excellently suitable to be suited as a space food for astronauts.

Space missions face a similar food-related challenge as arid or Arctic areas of our planet: maintaining a secure supply of nourishment in conditions where agriculture is not possible. In space, the possibilities to prepare food are extremely limited. At Solar Foods, we are solving this challenge by recreating our Solein bioprocess to fit smaller confines. The results so far show it can be done.

Our Space & Resilience work aims to help take humanity deeper into space while developing Solein production for extreme conditions here on Earth. Solar Foods is taking part in the Deep Space Food Challenge by NASA and CSA, an initiative that works to find ways to produce food on space missions. In 2021, we were declared one of the international winners of Phase I of the challenge; in May 2023, we were among the winners of the challenge’s Phase II.

We have also co-operated with ESABIC (European Space Agency Business Incubator) to study pre-feasibility for producing Solein during a Mars mission. In 2023 we were granted an European Space Agency – ESA contract under the ESA’s Open Space Innovation Platform (OSIP) to address the design of critical subsystems for a space fairing Solein production system.

Read more about solving food crises from Mars missions to arid deserts by our SVP Space & Defense, Arttu Luukanen.

Solar Foods’ Solein® is a unique microbial protein-rich powder that’s created by a fermentation process that utilises air and electricity as its primary resources. Solein is a food grown without traditional agriculture or fossil fuels: therefore it can be produced in harsh environments where traditional food production is not possible, such as deserts, Arctic areas or even outer space.

Based on a lifecycle analysis study, Solein’s comparative greenhouse gas emissions are approximately 1% that of meat protein and about 20% of plant protein production. It also takes just a fraction of the amount of water to produce Solein in comparison.

Solein contains all the essential amino acids, provides iron and B vitamins and is exceptionally functional: it vanishes into foods and doesn’t change the taste of familiar, everyday food products. Solein can be used to replace existing proteins in a variety of foods, for example in alternative dairy and meat, different snacks and beverages, noodles and pasta, or breads and spreads.

In short, Solein is a revolutionary leap in food science and presents all of humanity an opportunity to reap a previously undiscovered harvest.

You can read more at solein.com

The diversity of nature is more varied than meets the eye. Solein has probably been around in nature longer than the foods we consume today: we just have not been able to harvest it before. Solein is not a plant nor an animal, but a single-cell microbe in its most natural form – it is found in nature just like other crops.

Solein is meant to be used as an ingredient by the food industry. It is aimed at food brands looking for nutritious, functional, and sustainable protein ingredients of consistent quality that can be reliably delivered for their products.

Food brands will be able to use Solein in their products to substitute traditional ingredients or protein sources. Because Solein upgrades the nutritional profile of foods, it can be used for a wide variety of functional benefits in products ranging from drinks to yoghurts and noodles or pasta to alternative meat or dairy.

Solein in its plain powder form has a pleasant, delicate taste, just a note of umami and a mild aroma. It does not add or bring any distinctive taste to the final product it is added to.

The macronutrient composition of the cells is very similar to that of dried soy or algae, but it is more versatile since the taste and smell are not as distinct. This is good news since many of the alternative proteins in the market have an unpleasant taste, which needs to be masked in the final food products.

In short: it is like eating any of the foods you already know.

Solein’s adaptability is virtually limitless, and it can be used as a protein ingredient in a wide variety of existing foods such as pasta, bread, plant-based dairy, alternative dairy and meat products, drinks, and more. Solein vanishes into foods easily making it ideal for virtually every food imaginable, sweet or savoury.

In our view, having access to an alternative natural protein should not require you to compromise your choices, or taste buds, as a consumer.

Yes. All novel foods need to go through a rigorous testing protocol before allowed for sale. Solar Foods received its first novel food regulatory approval in Singapore in 2022.

Solar Foods is also seeking novel food approvals for Solein in the EU, the UK and the United States. Once the process is ready and Solein receives official approval on different markets, it will be ready for use in everyday food products.

Every novel food or ingredient goes through official approval processes and tests by local authorities before it can be sold or used in a food product. This is a standard procedure and ensures that Solein is 100% safe for all consumers.

Solein received its first novel food regulatory approval in September 2022 in Singapore. Solar Foods is seeking novel food approvals also in the EU, the UK and the United States.

Solein is gluten-free, GMO-free, dairy-free, soy-free and vegan. It does not contain known allergens or contradict any religious dietary restrictions.

Yes.

We do not make any health claims in comparison to other plant or meat-based protein sources. Based on the analysis done so far, Solein is an extremely diverse ingredient. It contains all the nine essential amino acids, carbohydrates, fats and minerals as any other food. Solein also provides a source of iron and B vitamins.

Solein’s nutritional profile consists of 65-70 % protein, 10-15 % carbohydrates, 5-8 % fat and 3-5 % minerals.

The yellow colour comes from carotenoids, which are naturally occurring pigments in Solein. An example of a familiar source of carotenoids is carrots. The yellow colour does not affect the taste.

Based on a lifecycle analysis study, Solein is about 10 times more climate-friendly than most plant-based proteins and about 100 times more climate-friendly than meat.

Currently Singapore is the only country where Solein has a novel food regulatory approval, clearing it for sale and use in food products. Solein has been available for consumers in limited-edition food products in Singapore, such as the Solein Chocolate Gelato and the Fazer Taste the Future snack bar. Most recently, the restaurant Chengdu Bowl introduced two Mala-flavoured dishes on its menu as Solein-powered versions.

Solar Foods has applied for a novel food regulatory approval also in the EU, the UK, and the United States. Once local authorities grant approvals, this opens the way for Solein to be introduced to these markets. We cannot speculate on specific dates when this might happen or which authorities might be the first to grant approval; however, our current aim is to enter the US market in late 2024.

Solar Foods’ first commercial-scale production facility, Factory 01, started operations in April 2024. Factory 01 scales Solein production up to a maximum of 160 tons of the novel protein annually. With expanded production, Solein’s cost will also see a significant drop. All of this will enable food brands to more easily use Solein in their products and bring it to consumers.

In May 2023, Solar Foods and the Japanese food and biotechnology company Ajinomoto announced a strategic alliance that includes the development of products using Solein and a marketability study in Singapore in 2024.

Please contact us at info@solarfoods.com for further information.

Two things affect any ingredient’s role in a recipe: its taste and how it functions with other ingredients.

Solein has a pleasant, delicate taste, a note of umami and a mild aroma. It does not add or bring a distinctive taste to the final product it is added to, which makes it perfect for blending, balancing, expanding and deepening flavours in the background without overshadowing the taste of other ingredients.

Solein is also a highly functional ingredient and can replace the protein in virtually any food:

• Thanks to its excellent emulsification, Solein is perfect for creating smooth, stable mixtures in products like mayonnaise, dressings, and non-dairy creamers.
• Solein’s ability to fibrillate means Solein can be transformed to mimic meat’s texture for satisfying alternative meatballs, strips, or meat imitations.
• Solein’s acid gelation and curdling properties make it ideal for vegan yoghurts and cheeses, providing the familiar consistency and mouthfeel of dairy products.
• The fine particle size allows for easy dispersion, ensuring a creamy texture in dairy alternatives and uniform blending in soups, sauces, and beverages.
• As a non-sedimenting ingredient, it’s excellent for protein shakes and other liquid foods. Solein serves as a nutritional building block, fortifying foods with protein, vitamins, and minerals.

From pasta and omelettes to protein bars and noodle soups, Solein is a versatile addition, providing a protein boost with every bite. Solein can also be used as a fortifying ingredient, for example to add iron to a food product.

Solein’s remarkable properties make it a culinary chameleon, perfect for both traditional recipes and novel gastronomic creations. That means it can be used in a wide variety of dishes and products in different ways: alternative dairy and meat, different snacks and beverages, noodles and pasta, or breads and spreads, and more.

Our work also involves continuously testing this entirely new food ingredient with chefs and food industry professionals to discover the full variety of dishes Solein can help recreate. To get an idea of just some of the different possibilities of Solein’s uses and how it pairs with traditional ingredients, have a look at the five-course menu created for Solein’s first official tasting in Singapore in 2023. Or look at the videos from our test kitchen, cooking with Solein:

Solein ice cream

Ravioli made with Solein

Bao buns made with Solein

Yes, some limited-edition products have been sold, such as the Solein Chocolate Gelato and the Taste the Future snack bar. A restaurant in Singapore has also sold Solein-powered versions of two of their staple dishes.

Up until now, the biggest obstacle to developing more foods that use Solein has been production output. The Solar Foods pilot laboratory could grow only small amounts of Solein daily. With our first commercial-scale plant, Factory 01, production capacity scales up a hundred-fold: depending on how much Solein is used in a dish, that translates to up to 8 million meals annually. This makes larger product launches possible.