USA – Air Protein, a California-based company that is pioneering a new category of food production – air-based protein, has launched air-based meat created from elements found in the air.
The company has developed a innovative method of producing meat made with air and produced without the traditional land, water and weather requirements.
Air Protein explained that the process to create this new form of protein uses elements found in the air and is combined with water and mineral nutrients, marking the first time in history air-based meat has been created.
The technology uses renewable energy and a probiotic production process to convert the elements into a nutrient-rich protein with the same amino acid profile as an animal protein and packed with crucial B vitamins, which are often deficient in a vegan diet.
By transforming elements of the air we breathe into protein, Air Protein said that this will revolutionize how we approach food production in the future.
The United Nation Food and Agricultural Foundation (FAO) predicts farmers will need to increase food production by 70% with only 5% land increase to meet the expected growing population of 10B people by 2050.
The company believes that air-based meat offers an elegant solution to the equation.
“The statistics are clear. Our current resources are under extreme strain as evidenced by the burning Amazon due to deforestation and steadily increasing droughts,” says Air Protein CEO, Dr. Lisa Dyson.
“We need to produce more food with a reduced dependency on land and water resources. Air-based meat addresses these resource issues and more.”
“The world is embracing plant-based meat and we believe air-based meat is the next evolution of the sustainably-produced food movement that will serve as one of the solutions to feeding a growing population without putting a strain on natural resources.”
The technology to produce the protein found in air-based meat allows for protein to be made within days instead of months, and independently of weather conditions or seasons.
According to the company, the process is similar to making yogurt or beer and requires a minimal fraction of the land used in traditional meat production.
Air Protein leverages carbon transformation technology developed by Kiverdi, which was inspired by NASA’s closed loop carbon cycle concepts for long-journey space missions.
The protein found in air-based meat is produced using natural processes, and made completely free of any use of pesticides, herbicides, hormones or antibiotics, the company said.
As part of a larger mission to provide sustainable food security on the planet, Aleph Farms, an Israeli food technology start-up company announced in October that it had successfully carried out a trial on cell-grown meat in the space.
The developments form part of the ongoing efforts aimed at mitigating climate change effects, that has increased desertification and land degradation rates resulting to diminishing availability of food supplies.
