Happy Thanksgiving to our US readers! I am sure many of you are eagerly waiting for a get-together (and eat!) with friends and family tonight.

Speaking of food, some of you might already have heard about various plant-derived meat varieties that finally taste like real meat, and are now available in the consumer world such as burgers from Impossible Food and Beyond Meat, which unfortunately I have yet to try one. Synthetic biology and biotechnology are becoming more and more important in the food market as start-up companies try to produce meat-like cells from plant proteins – hence, for example, these veggie burgers can bleed like real meat.

On this link is an interesting article about the activities of some of these companies and I am seriously thinking of investing in one (if Santa Claus will not give me coal this year).

Another interesting news that I came across recently is making protein out of filtered carbon from air. According to this press release, Air Protein, a California-based company established by industrial biotech start-up Kiverdi, has recently launched its Air Protein flour produced from a patented microorganism fed with carbon dioxide, oxygen, and nitrogen using a fermentation-based process. This technology was inspired by NASA’s solution to feed astronauts on long missions.

The process uses renewable energy and a probiotic production to convert the elements of air into a nutrient-rich protein with the same amino acid profile as an animal protein, and reportedly packed with B vitamins, which are often deficient in a vegan diet. The technology to produce the protein found in air-based meat allows for protein to be made in a matter of days instead of months, and unlike veggie proteins, growing this type of food ingredient will be independent of weather conditions or seasons. The process is said to be similar to making yogurt or beer and requires just a tiny fraction of the land used in traditional meat production.

Kiverdi plans to commercialize Air Protein through partnerships and enter the market over the next few years through multiple verticals. The company said it is not going to enter the market until production is economically attractive enough, and that means scaling up significantly (and funding required).

I am all for trying out this type of food! In the meantime for our US readers, enjoy your plant-based and meat-based meals tonight but make sure not to have too much food waste!