From the air to the table: “Air Protein”, innovation for the food of the future

The food industry faces a major challenge today: climate change, which threatens, among many other things, the availability of water and fertile soil. According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), food systems are responsible for approximately 30% of greenhouse gas emissions caused by humans, and animal products account for almost 60%. 

“Never has humanity had at its disposal so much capacity and technology for food production. However, over 2.3 billion people continue to live in conditions of food insecurity, according to the Food and Agriculture Organizacion (FAO). At the same time, diseases associated with bad nutrition are on the rise,” noted Roberto Angelini, President of the Copec-UC Foundation, at the 21st International Seminar on Food for the Future. 

One of the projects which seeks to address this challenge—and which was presented at the seminar organized by the Anacleto Angelini UC Chile Innovation Center—was Air Protein. 

Air, water and energy 

The idea of creating an “air protein” came up during the 1960s and 1970s, during the space race to the moon, explained Lisa Dyson, PhD in physics from MIT and CEO and founder of Air Protein, who spoke at the event. 

The objective was to “recycle” the CO2 exhaled by astronauts so that microorganisms or cultures could convert it into nutrients using water and energy. This would allow them to consume food created from those nutrients. 

Although the Apollo space program ended in the 1970s, Dr. Dyson, along with John Reed, dusted off the idea and revived the NASA project, creating Air Protein. 

To obtain “air protein”, elements from the air are combined with cultures (single-cell organisms) that start producing protein in a process called elemental fermentation, similar to that used in the production of yogurt, cheese or wine. The protein is extracted and purified, then dried to remove water, resulting in a nutrient-dense flour. 

“It is an ‘air protein’, made from air, water and energy. It is packed with nutrients, with over 80% protein content and all the essential amino acids: it is a complete protein. Additionally, it contains bioavailable vitamins and minerals, is highly digestible, and is independently GRAS certified in the United States,” explained Lisa Dyson. 

In San Leandro, California, they have what they call their “air farm”, where they also have a demonstration plant. After working with different chefs, they have managed to produce a range of food products using this flour: from pastas and baked goods to cereals, yogurts and creams. They have even been able to replace dairy products and eggs in recipes. 

“NASA had a dream, and idea, and we have been working to turn this idea – which they were not able to complete – into a commercial reality. We started with a collection of over two hundred cultures and found those that were the best microseeds. We grew them, figured out how to turn them into an edible and nutrient-rich food, and now we are scaling up the production,” Dyson emphasized. 

One of the advantages of this initiative is that the “air farms” are not affected by environmental factors but can operate in practically any place and adapt their capacity with relative speed. Additionally, Dr. Dyson noted that Air Protein “requires thousands of times less water than traditional crops and could have a negative carbon footprint. That is to say, it can reduce more carbon than it emits.” 

International speakers 

Katie Stebbins, Executive Director of the Tufts Food & Nutrition Innovation Institute and Vice President for Global Intiatives at the Institute of Food, also spoke at the seminar, addressing how tradition meets technology in the food industry, and how to benefit from innovation. 

Next to present was Ady Beitler, co-founder and CEO of Nilus, who highlighted the problem of food distribution and the disadvantages that arise depending on socioeconomic status; and Aline Mor, Director of Nestle’s R&D Center for Latin America. 

Additionally, the event featured an exhibition of over 40 poster presentations by universities, start-ups and companies from different regions of the country, which presented innovative solutions to the challenges facing food production globally.