Paul - did you see this?

Think of it as electric food that bypasses photosynthesis. Electricity splits water and feeds hydrogen to bacteria - with a few fertilisers. Here's George Monbiot eating a pancake made from the stuff. 

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jan/08/lab-grown-food-destroy-farming-save-planet 

They claim it will scale up to grow protein cheaper than soybeans by 2025, and that it will cook all the proteins and fats and carbs we need, and even arrive in different flavours.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_Foods

It will be cheaper than meat in just a few years. It will replace all animal products - beef, lamb, pork, chicken and fish (with omega-3's) - in the next 10 to 15 years. It could even replace our cereal crops like wheat and corn and rice. It’s 100 times more land efficient than beef, and 10 times more than our various crops. It’s going to be the biggest jump in human food security since we invented farming 10,000 years ago - and could save us from the worst aspects of climate change - the way it messes up agriculture! Indeed, with all that land being returned to nature we could probably let the 3 trillion trees we’ve cut down since Industrialisation regrow - even plant them out with droid-seed-pods and help nature along with this.

Tony Seba follows the cost curve as it becomes 100,000 times cheaper over the last 20 years. The potential proteins that can be cooked up are infinite in variety. One protein is 1000 times sweeter than sugar cane. We can make spider-silk for building materials this way. http://youtu.be/g6gZHbfK8Vo

The Chinese are working on another route - a chemical way to cook up sugary starches used for both food and cardboard etc. In keeping with the "Ferming" above, I call this one "Starching". http://youtu.be/e2SsheLN1t8 

They sound like some gifts from Science Fiction. Worth keeping an eye on!

A crap pancake beats a sh!t sandwich anyway! I do believe the famous Professor Nichonpoop is working on a quail that lays an egg the size of an ostrich. He's starting with an emu and working his way down. With a $20 million government grant the good professor believes his ground breaking research being conducted in Monte Carlo should be completed by 2057! The professor said even earlier if red has long winning streak at the roulette table!

One last thing - want to SEE what this food looks like? Here's a bao bun cooked mostly from the stuff.

http://youtu.be/DsgpUxec5dY

"What is it like to cook bao buns made with Solein? Watch how we steamed milky, fluffy bao buns made with Solein dairy alternative, and filled them with some crispy teriyaki-glazed Solein imitation meat alternative strips, Solein alternative mayonnaise dressing and crunchy, pickled and julienned veg wrapped in a shiso leaf. Our top chef Sebastian Borg describes it as a perfect balance of soft and crunchy, sweet and salty, sour and umami.

The future of food is one where you can still fill your buns with all the foods you know and love.

Solein, the protein made out of thin air, is an exceptionally functional ingredient. It can taste like anything you add it to, making it an ideal ingredient for the dishes you know and love."

Here's ice cream
http://youtu.be/0-Ir0wwtTps

Here are cake-pops
http://youtu.be/xOxlXMzCPIU

Looks good Max,

Does it come in chocolate?

Hi Paul,
this is just the start of this adventure.

"Exciting times lie ahead for Solar Foods, as the Finnish-based startup announced its protein “made from air” has received regulatory approval from the Singapore Food Agency (SFA).

The firm announced that its microbial protein-rich powder, which essentially blends microbes, gases, and nutrients, will go into commercial production and sales in 2024.

“I’d compare this to the discovery of the potato: we are introducing an entirely new ingredient to the world of food. It’s a watershed moment for how we think of what we eat,” said CEO Pasi Vainikka.

“This is also a huge day for us as a company. The food revolution we have been working towards for years has taken a major step forward and we are highly excited about the prospect of bringing Solein to the market in Singapore.”

Available in a fine, yellow powder, Solein contains around 65% protein, with an amino acid profile similar to soy; 20 to 35% carbohydrates; 5 to 10% fat; and is a source of vitamin A, B and iron.

Its neutral flavour profile, with hints of umami and no off-taste, trumps other plant-based proteins, such as pea, that can have strong secondary flavours, requiring masking agents, the company said.

“Solein is a versatile protein that has an enormous number of functions,” said Shilei Zhang, the firm’s chief commercial officer.

“You can use it as a structure-forming ingredient to produce many different textures and tastes that would have a protein component in them, in sauces, spreads, beverages, noodles or pasta, baked goods, or in foods to replace meat, dairy, or eggs.”
https://www.ingredientsnetwork.com/singapore-becomes-first-country-to-greenlight-news119324.html

Max here: so at this stage Solein sounds like discovering the "microbial potato" and they're still adapting it into mash, roast chips, fries, packet crisps and other applications like toppings for pies.

But Tony Seba talks about how these yeasts can be genetically modified to produce ANY protein chains we can imagine. In that case, this is more like food as an 'app'. Just depends how you program it!

Hi Max,

Seriously, we need to look at alternate methods of world food production. With population growth and climate change negatively impacting traditional methods of production, new alternatives must be found asap. The Chinese are looking at a number of methods at the moment. The way Australia's agricultural is heading due to CC maybe some of our 'Old Fart' deniers can come up with some alternatives, but I doubt it!