Helsinki - They call it sci-fi food, or sci-fi food, and that to which they thought the researchers of the Finnish Lappeenranta University of Technology, who in the Vtt Technical Research Center laboratories have managed to produce a single cell protein, registered under the name of Solein, using only water, air and electricity.

After the first tests in the laboratory it is a startup founded, Solar Foods, which promises to revolutionize the way we produce food in the future.
Not only a product that meets our need for protein, carbohydrate and fat, but at the same time be able to change the carbon footprint of the food system.
"What we want to do is disconnect the food production from plants and animals," explains engineer Pasi Vainikka, CEO of Solar Food, during a meeting at 'European Space Week in Helsinki.
"This will be crucial in a world where the global population continues to increase.
According to FAO we estimate we will need 20 percent more food by mid-century. "
That way they are now producing much of the food has a very significant impact on greenhouse gas emissions, it is not a mystery.
The food production in fact accounts for about a quarter of the total emissions produced by man.
Of these, more than half are attributable to the animal farms and products linked to them (31%), while nearly a quarter is attributable to the use of the soil for the production of vegetable crops such as corn, soy and wheat (of these 16 % is used for farming, while only 8% is intended for human consumption).
In recent years, researchers have been working on various solutions, especially with regard to the production of proteins capable of replacing those of animal origin, and for the real impacts on the ecosystem, and the increase of a certain ethical consciousness in the population and ecological an omnivorous time.
Here then flour produced from insects, or from algae.
O products such as mock meat, which mimics the sensations on the palate which gives the meat, but it is substantially plant-based (plant-based).
But there are those who look even further, and think about drastically reduce CO 2 linked to food production, even without the use of soil .The process, developed by the Vainikka team plans to use water, carbon dioxide, energy electric and "single-celled bacteria present in the soil, completely natural", to produce proteins.
The entire process is not very clear, so that so far no studies have been published in this respect, but it seems that the bacteria are fed inside a bioreactor with the hydrogen coming from the hydrolysis with water and carbon dioxide extracted from the atmosphere.
"Instead of sugar, use small bubbles of hydrogen and carbon dioxide," explains Vainikka.
"And electricity [for hydrolysis, ed] as the main renewable energy source".
The bacteria would then probably used as nitrogen fixers, therefore, capable of cleaving the molecules of nitrogen present in the air and to produce the amino acids to build protein.
The process, as explained by the same Vainikka, fermentazionenaturale the replication of the yeast and that of 'lactic acid in an anaerobic environment.
The powder made from it is composed of approximately 65% protein, from 10 to 20% of carbohydrates and from 4 to 10% fat (the remaining part is the mineral component).
"To date we are able to produce one kilogram a day."
Substantially tasteless, the powder can be additivated to many vegetarian or vegan food and so far they are testing yoghurt, vegetable-based drinks, but also full meals as a lasagna.
"We are waiting for the green light from the European Food Safety Authority," confirms Vainikka.
According to the startup the whole process would have a production of 0.4 pounds of carbon dioxide per kilogram of product, compared with the 45 kilograms of beef and 2 kilograms for the most efficient plants.
As regards the water footprint, Solein would have an impact from 100 to 500 times lower than for meat production and of the most common vegetable.
To serve unchilogrammo of protein 200 liters of water (the beef it employs more than 100 thousand).
The startup has recently collaborated with the 'Esa Business IncubationCenter to develop a technology for the production of food in spatial conditions and for future Mars missions, and recently won a 100 thousand euro grant awarded by the Index Award and supported by Denmark.
Questions remain about how the whole process actually functions, besides the fact that it is assumed that the storage technology and capture of CO 2 (CCS) will become cheaper in the next few years (but talk about it for decades).
The data produced would therefore only make sense in this case.
A very likely now the process is not yet economically viable, despite the Solar Food are assured of marketing Solein early as next year.

From Wired