🍔 Food-from-air company Solar Foods advances in NASA's space food competition

• NASA's Deep Space Food Challenge aims to find new ways to provide astronauts with nutrition during long space missions.
• Solar Foods won the international category in the competition.
• The company is developing a concept to produce the protein Solein in space.

Innovative food production for future space missions

NASA and the Canadian Space Agency CSA launched the Deep Space Food Challenge in January 2021 to find new ways to provide astronauts with nutrition during long space missions. On August 16, the winners were announced at an event at Ohio State University, where Solar Foods took home the victory in the international category.

Solar Foods' concept involves producing the nutritious protein Solein in space. The company has adapted its bioprocess to function in the limited spaces aboard spacecraft, while drastically improving water economy.

"Our main mission is to solve the global food crisis and Solein is primarily intended for consumption on Earth," says Arttu Luukanen at Solar Foods. "But space represents the ultimate stress test for a circular economy. It gives us the opportunity to both contribute to scientific progress and develop our business."

Solein - a versatile protein

Solein is produced through microbial gas fermentation, a technique that Solar Foods also uses on Earth. In a space environment, there is plenty of hydrogen available as a byproduct of oxygen generation, as well as carbon dioxide exhaled by the crew. By integrating the food production system with spacecraft environmental control and life support systems, these residual products can be effectively utilized.

The protein Solein is a versatile ingredient that can replace protein in almost all types of food. It can also be used as a supplement to complement the nutritional profile of various foods, as it is a source of iron, fiber, and B vitamins.

The victory in phase III of the challenge is expected to raise Solar Foods' profile with both space organizations and companies developing commercial space stations. The company looks forward to collaborating with these actors to accelerate the development and implementation of its technology in orbit, on the moon, and eventually on Mars.

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