The microorganism feeds on dissolved hydrogen, and carbon dioxide is split from water by electricity during the process. It is then provided with mineral nutrients that allow it to make amino acids, carbohydrates, lipids, and vitamins. Later, excess moisture is removed from the Solein. The result is a dry powder enriched with protein.
The food can be grown with near-zero greenhouse gas emissions
If this electricity comes from solar and wind power, the food can easily be grown with near-zero greenhouse gas emissions.
In an interview with TechCrunch in September 2022, Vainikka said that Solein resembled existing foodstuffs. “So it’s very familiar, but it’s a bit [of a] new combination,” he said, adding: “The taste is very mild, very neutral.”
How can Solein fit into an evolved food production system? “Cereals, vegetables, fruits, herbs aren’t going anywhere,” Vainikka told TechCrunch. “So if we go back to the original problem — 80 percent of all the problems that have to do with food, whether it’s loss of natural habitat or forest loss or whatever, has to do with the industrialized animal production… So actually Solein could solve 80 percent of the problem but 20 percent of the calories because mostly we are, on a calorie basis, eating carbohydrates.”
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