HELSINKI, FINLAND — Solar Foods has received a patent from the US Patent and Trademark Office.
The patent enables Solar Foods to produce its protein ingredient called Solein, which uses a patented gas fermentation organism and process, for food product applications.
Solein is an ingredient that may be used to replace protein and act as a fortifier to enhance the nutritional profile of various foods, according to the company.
Solar Foods’ process uses a single microbe and grows it through gas fermentation with carbon dioxide and hydrogen as the main raw materials.
Solar Foods said it has started the commercialization of Solein in the United States for the health and performance nutrition markets.
“The United States is our key market and one of the major protein-consuming markets in the world,” said Juha-Pekka Pitkänen, chief scientific officer of Solar Foods. “After receiving the patent in the United States, producing the microbe we discovered in the Finnish wilderness almost a decade ago through gas fermentation is now patented in the most significant markets in the world.”
Its first product to be produced with Solein is Solein Protein Bites Nut Mix Edition.
The snack bites are formulated with the company’s Solein ingredient, peanut butter, hazelnuts and are covered in a chocolate flavored coating.
In addition to receiving a patent, the company obtained a self-affirmed GRAS (generally recognized as safe) status in 2024.
Enjoying this content? Learn about more disruptive startups on the Food Entrepreneur page.
#Solar #Foods #cleared #produce #protein #ingredient
About the Author
