Finland’s Solar Foods has developed an egg- and dairy-free mayonnaise made with Solein, its signature protein derived from CO2. It’s also three times cheaper.
In response to the egg industry’s supply chain and price volatilities, Finnish food tech company Solar Foods has swapped chickens for carbon in its new mayonnaise.
The spread is made from Solein, a protein derived from gas fermentation. Its “excellent emulsifying properties” can replace egg yolks in mayo production and enable stable supplies and significant cost savings.
Solar Foods’s yellow powdered protein yields three times more mayo than the same amount of egg yolk powder, providing what the firm claims is “unmatched value” for the food industry.
“Egg yolk powder prices have fluctuated wildly in recent years,” said chief commercial and product officer Troels Nørgaard. “With Solein, companies can lock in multi-year agreements at a fixed price, having more control and de-risking from sudden spikes and market disruptions from disease outbreaks and climate conditions to geopolitical upheavals.”
Solein-based mayo a solution to egg crisis
Solar Foods produces Solein by feeding microbes on carbon dioxide, hydrogen and oxygen, instead of sugar, which eliminates the need for farmland, water for irrigation, and fertilisers and pesticides.
The microbes are grown in a liquid form, and later dried into a flavourless powder that has 78% protein, 6% fat, and 10% dietary fibre. Its macronutrient profile is said to be akin to dried soy or algae, and it contains iron and B vitamins.
Solar Foods calls Solein the “most sustainable protein” on Earth. The main raw materials for production are carbon dioxide and renewable energy, resulting in emissions equal to just 1% of those generated by conventional meat, and 20% of plant proteins.
When it comes to mayo, which is traditionally produced by emulsifying oil with egg yolks, Solein offers the same functionality, but at a lower cost. The fact that it can yield thrice the amount of mayo means food companies need fewer raw materials, giving them better efficiency and a direct cost advantage.
The egg-free mayo market is already worth $4.9B, and it’s set to grow by 6% annually to reach $6.6B by the end of the decade. A major driver of the growing demand is the avian flu outbreak that has pushed egg prices to all-time highs in the US (in some cities, eggs cost $1 a pop) and a decade-long record in Europe.
Anticipated price corrections have led some producers of powdered eggs to delay purchases, causing a supply gap. Combined with the wider impact of food prices amid the cost-of-living crisis, it has created a perfect storm.
Solar Foods’s mayonnaise can replace egg yolks both partially or completely and be used in the same way, from sandwiches and salads to dips and dressings. The gas-fermented protein offers a creamy, indulgent mouthfeel with a neutral flavour, which can form an ideal base for flavoured spreads like chilli mayo or garlic aioli.
Solar Foods prepares to build new factory to meet demand for Solein
Solar Foods is already cleared to sell Solein in Singapore and the US. In the former, it debuted in 2022 as part of a vegan chocolate gelato at Italian eatery Fico. It was also the base of a Taste the Future chocolate snack bar released by Fazer (a majority shareholder of Solar Foods) in the city-state, and a line of mooncakes and ice cream sandwiches rolled out by Japanese food giant Ajinomoto.
The company’s strategy stateside is to home in on the health and performance nutrition market, having recently unveiled a ready-to-mix protein shake powder for athletes and gymgoers looking to enhance their performance and recovery.
Solar Foods has additionally signed supply partnerships with US-based GLP-1 wellness company Superb Food (worth €1.39M) and Italian food firm KelpEat (worth €500,000), alongside three commercialisation deals that could account for half of the production capacity of its upcoming facility.
Speaking of which, Solar Foods currently operates its demo plant, Factory 01, in Vantaa, with an initial capacity of producing 160 tonnes of Solein per year, or 450kg daily (equivalent to the egg protein output of 50,000 hens). This is set to increase to 230 tonnes by 2026.
Simultaneously, it has been working on an industrial-scale Factory 02, which would churn out 12,800 tonnes of its gas protein annually. It’s expected to be built in three phases, with the first set to be operational by 2028, and will allow it to produce Solein at €4.30-5.20 per kg, generating net sales of €80-200M.
Solar Foods has already raised around €83M in equity and debt funding for its two facilities, with backers including the EU Commission and Business Finland.
The latter, Finland’s official trade agency, has made a total of €110M in grants available to Solar Foods until 2035, and has already injected over €43M. It has set aside a total of €76M to help with the construction of Factory 02, if built on European soil. The decision on location is set to be made next year.
“Solein excels as an ingredient in different health and performance nutrition products, but beyond that, we see Solein playing a pivotal role in transforming global food systems. When we talk about feeding 10 billion people, Solein’s unmatched value becomes a key advantage in all imaginable food categories,” said Nørgaard.
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