The upstart is using NASA research from the 1960s to create protein to make meat substitutes — and potentially many other products — out of ordinary carbon dioxide.
In the 1960s, NASA scientists were researching many aspects of space travel for humans.
Some of the products of that research were seen by the world, such as the Apollo 11 moon landing in 1969. Others, like how to make food for astronauts out of carbon dioxide, were shelved.
But decades later, Lisa Dyson picked up where those scientists left off. A former strategy consultant with a doctorate in physics, she became interested in how to create protein in a more sustainable way and came upon the old research. She worked on the concept through Kiverdi, a company she founded, which came up with technology to develop protein from air.
Last month, Dyson announced the spinoff of a food company utilizing this technology, Air Protein. The firm, which is working on meat alternative products, expects to make an announcement about when and how they will come to market next year, she told Food Dive.
Dyson said people are becoming more aware of both the ecological impact meat production has on the planet, as well as the pressing need to better produce proteins to feed a growing population.
"This is a great opportunity to introduce an alternative that is super sustainable, significantly more sustainable than any land-based production," Dyson said. "You don't need any arable land. You can keep your habitat untouched. You could scale vertically, you know, [producing food] rain or shine, day or night. In the production itself, you can produce the same amount of protein from a soy farm the size of Texas by just having an Air Protein farm the size of Walt Disney World."....MUCH MORE
Dyson hopes the new technology — another way to make sustainable protein — will revolutionize both the food business and the longevity of the environment.
How does it work?
While there is no way to get away from the deep science behind this concept, making edible protein from air sounds like science fiction.
NASA's report detailing how the technology works was published in 1967 as part of a more comprehensive study about how to support human life during a space mission longer than a year. Basically, they looked at hydrogenotrophs — common microbes, some of which actually live in the human gut — that can be used to turn carbon dioxide into a physical protein. NASA looked at harnessing these microbes to convert the carbon dioxide that astronauts would exhale into something they could eat....
