Finnish food company Fazer has unveiled a limited-edition chocolate snack bar made with Solein, a protein ingredient from “thin air”. The produce will initially be offered at The Cocoa Trees stores in Singapore through its partnership with FNA Group.
Solein is made from natural single-cell organisms grown in a fermentation process where water is split from air using renewable energy into hydrogen and oxygen. The cells are then fed carbon dioxide, hydrogen, nitrogen, and minerals.
Aside from the novel ingredient, the limited-edition dark chocolate has strawberries, hazelnuts, and oat puffs.
The new chocolate bar would also be the first instance where people can try Solein in a fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) product.
Heli Anttila, VP for new product development at Fazer Confectionery, said Singapore is the perfect test ground for its unique chocolate snack bar, having an innovative food ecosystem and curious consumers.
“We at Fazer are dedicated to leading the food industry to a viable future and are constantly looking at how we can improve our sustainability and impact the future of the food industry as a whole,” she added.
Fazer is the biggest shareholder of Solar Foods – makers of Solein – and has been working directly with the R&D team on product development.
According to the company, the Singapore trial run of a consumer snack bar using Solein will provide a good testing ground for future market rollouts once the novel ingredient is in full production.
“With this introduction in Singapore, we are getting valuable customer feedback on Solein’s viability in a new product category and a sense of the consumer acceptance of future ingredients,” said Pais Vainikka, CEO at Solar Foods.
“Our shared aim extends beyond this pivotal moment, targeting a wider scale European launch in 2025-2026 with a whole range of products.”
In 2022, Solein obtained regulatory approval in Singapore, a significant achievement towards the country’s goal of producing 30 per cent of its nutritional requirements by 2030.
