Singapore’s the first country to approve the use of “protein made from air,” a unique type of foodstuff that’s already been incorporated into the menus of restaurants like Chengdu Bowl. In this episode of Future Food, we dive into the world of alternative proteins to find out what this unique food innovation could mean for Singapore.
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00:00Farming as we know it in the past is you farm in vast pieces of land in the countryside
00:06and then you bring it to the city, you bring it to modern trade as we call it,
00:10which is supermarkets for us to consume, right? That has to change.
00:13So we cannot really increase agricultural land area anymore.
00:18So we have to make food production more efficient.
00:23So the solution would be to bring the farms closer to the cities.
00:28In this series, we'll explore how innovative technologies
00:32and local initiatives are rethinking the way we produce and consume food.
00:38Welcome to Future Food, where we explore the food production of tomorrow.
00:44Today, we're exploring an innovative food technology that's changing the way we think
00:48about nutrition and sustainability. I'm talking about solene powder from Solar Foods,
00:54a revolutionary protein source derived from air.
00:59Why is there a need to make protein out of air?
01:03And what genius goes behind the scenes to create such proteins?
01:08We speak to one of the founders of Solar Foods to find out.
01:12Hello, I'm Joopeka Pitkanen. I'm chief technology officer and one of the founders of Solar Foods.
01:17Why is there a need for alternative proteins?
01:20One of the big drivers for us has been how the land area of Earth is utilized.
01:28More than 50% of this arable land area is used for farming.
01:32And the forest area is something like 30%.
01:35So we cannot really increase agricultural land area anymore.
01:40So we have to make food production more efficient.
01:45So we established Solar Foods in 2017 with the idea that by making food from CO2 and
01:52renewable electricity, we can start to feed the growing human population more efficiently.
01:58We cannot turn rainforests into fields anymore. So this has to change.
02:04How is this powder produced?
02:07The land production process is actually rather simple.
02:09So it's a bit like brewing beer or producing baker's yeast.
02:14So we have a bioreactor where we cultivate the microorganism we have discovered from Finnish
02:19nature. But this microorganism grows using hydrogen as the source for energy and CO2
02:25as the source for carbon. So it doesn't use any sugars like yeasts would do.
02:30What are the nutritional benefits of solene powder compared to traditional protein sources?
02:35Solene powder contains 70% of protein.
02:38And after protein, there are fibers, like 15% of fibers, and then fatty acids,
02:44roughly 8%. And then there are minerals, something like 3%.
02:49And then some minerals also include iron and magnesium, calcium.
02:54So it's very good also in mineral composition.
02:57And additionally, there are vitamins, including B12 and folates.
03:02So various B-group vitamins. And the yellow color, it comes from carotenoids.
03:07So precursor for vitamin A.
03:09So how do you see solene powder impacting the future of food and sustainability?
03:14We want to basically liberate food production from connection to agriculture.
03:20So we want to enable the future of food being more independent of the climate
03:25conditions so that it wouldn't burden the environment so much.
03:30In my viewpoint, it suits also countries like Singapore very well,
03:34where there is not much really arable land available and you are dependent on imported foods.
03:41Overall, the concept that we can have food production more closer to food consumption,
03:48so this is also one of the concepts for solar foods.
03:52Now let's see how solene powder is being used right here in Singapore.
03:56We're at Chengdu Bowl, a restaurant known for its delicious Sichuan cuisine.
04:01Come on, let's go in to find out.
04:04Hi, Sabrina.
04:05Hello.
04:06I'm Yu Lin.
04:07Nice to meet you.
04:07Nice to meet you too.
04:08So I'm here with Sabrina, the owner of Chengdu Bowl.
04:11Sabrina, can you tell us a bit more about how you started to incorporate solene powder into your dishes?
04:16Yeah, sure.
04:17We were introduced by Nurasa, which is the food tech accelerator in Singapore,
04:23and which is supported by Temasek.
04:25When they introduced solene, we noticed that they don't really have manufacturing in Singapore.
04:30So we shipped their product all the way from Finland, then did the testing with our chef.
04:36Then we tried with our classic Sichuan food, like Mapo Tofu.
04:40So it turns out to be great.
04:42That's why we're trying to be the pioneer and introduce to our food.
04:45I love it.
04:45Finnish technology with Asian cuisine.
04:48Yeah.
04:48It's amazing.
04:49Fusion to the max.
04:50So what made you decide to incorporate solene powder into your dishes?
04:54As a young Singaporean brand, we just don't settle for being ordinary.
04:59So when we started, we also think about, hey,
05:02how can we promote the modern Sichuan cuisine by incorporating, you know, the new technology?
05:08So we get introduced using this powder.
05:10We thought that, hey, why don't we give it a try?
05:13Because it helped to boost the Mapo Tofu's protein by 10%.
05:17Does it affect the texture at all?
05:18A little bit more QQ.
05:20I thought it would be.
05:22So how did your customers react to the addition of solene powder into your dishes?
05:26Yeah, it's actually well received.
05:28It becomes one of our best-selling products in the entire restaurant.
05:32And also, we receive a lot of messages coming from Instagram.
05:35People are privately messaging us saying that, hey, this is really nice.
05:39And we even receive some messages from overseas, like from Europe,
05:44because they know that Finland has this powder.
05:46And Singapore, I think it's one of the first jurisdictions
05:50approved this powder to be used in the food itself.
05:52That's fantastic.
05:53Can you walk us through how you prepare one of your dishes with solene powder?
05:57Oh yeah, sure.
05:58So for the Mapo Tofu itself, traditionally, the sauce will have the minced pork.
06:03That's adding the flavor.
06:04But for ours, it's completely vegan in a way.
06:08So they were just putting the solene powder in the stock itself.
06:11So when they cook it, it comes in the whole texture and blends.
06:17Sounds lovely.
06:18Well, let's dig in, shall we?
06:20Sure.
06:20I'm going to give it a taste test.
06:29How is it?
06:30It's really nice.
06:31I like the kick of the spice.
06:32As for the tofu, there's a bit of a nasty flavor, but it's pleasant.
06:36Yeah, it's really nice.
06:38It's fantastic to see such innovative solutions being incorporated into traditional cuisines.
06:43What are your future plans for solene powder or any other alternative proteins for that matter?
06:48We're also looking for other alternative protein.
06:52We do have a plant-based meat as well in other outlets.
06:57So we're doing that cross-testing and see which one comes to the top.
07:02Then we will introduce to other outlets.
07:04Oh, lovely.
07:05Well, thanks so much, Sabrina.
07:07It was really lovely to hear about your journey with Cheng Tu Goh.
07:10Right now, I'm kind of hungry.
07:12So I think I might just, you know, like help myself and maybe this one also, if you don't mind.
07:17You can take all if you want.
07:20I think I only can manage two.
07:21But thanks very much.
07:22You're welcome.
07:28F.
07:31Cheng Tu Goh is a great example of how innovative food technologies can be creatively integrated
07:37with traditional cuisine to provide healthier and more sustainable food options.
07:42To have a deeper understanding of how innovative food technologies like solene powder
07:46are changing the food industry, we spoke with an expert.
07:50I'm Dr. Carrie Matwik, and I'm a senior lecturer at Nanyang Technological University.
07:56Can you comment on the emerging global food lifestyles
07:59and emerging trends that you see in novel foods?
08:02So some of the emerging trends and lifestyle trends in Singapore
08:07is that people are more interested in healthier and more sustainable food options.
08:12And alternative proteins is one of the fastest growing sectors in this interest.
08:18And Singapore, in particular, has taken great interest in investment into it.
08:23So solene is one of the companies that Singapore has approved of
08:27for being an alternative protein.
08:30And it's from a microprotein.
08:32This association between technology and food, people tend to have this anxiety about it
08:38because we want food that seems to have a natural source, grows from the dirt, the earth.
08:44And so when we start to include science and technology,
08:48it separates food from its natural origins.
08:52And so naturally, humans have this awareness and more barriers put up
08:57about what we want to eat and affect us personally.
09:00And so solene is an example of a company that is using great new technology
09:05to create alternative protein forms,
09:08but is facing these cultural barriers that we hold on to so tightly with food.
09:16It's inspiring to see how Chengdu Bowl is incorporating solene powder into their dishes,
09:21creating healthier and more sustainable food options for their customers.
09:25Next up, we'll be visiting New Rasa to learn more about their role
09:29in accelerating food technology in Singapore.
09:32Thanks for joining us today.
09:34And we'll see you next time on Future Food
09:36as we continue to explore the future of food security and sustainability in Singapore.
09:42Hi, Sabrina.
09:43Hi.
09:44Yulin.
09:45Nice to meet you.
09:46We said it at the same time.
09:47Was that weird?
09:49Okay.
09:50So, when can we dig in?
09:52I've been waiting forever.
09:59Is it very hot?
10:00Oh, wow.