The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration, better known as NASA, never ceases to amaze us when it comes to scientific research. The well-known American organization keeps some other technological ace up the sleeve to be able to feed its astronauts on long missions through space. Precisely, an important link between NASA and food has arisen from this need: the space agency has always been closely related to the latest advances in food technology. In this case, eating from the air. As sad as it may sound.
NASA has done it again. But it has little to do with aliens or with Area 51, unfortunately for the most conspiracy theorists. What we are here to comment on today is postulated as an important future technology for Humanity, something more than necessary given the evident scarcity of raw materials that has been shaking the planet for years. Our food production systems are unsustainable, and will not be enough to satisfy the dietary and food needs of the human being.
If you freaked out when you found out that you could prepare San Jacobos and croquettes in a air fryer or air fryer, hold on tight to the seat because you will discover something superior. Air proteins have come to shake the foundations of our diet.
Create food from air
One of the solutions to unsustainable food production would come from NASA and its technology that allows create food from air. Yes, as you read it. This technology is not new, far from it, but part of some research carried out by NASA itself in the 1960s to improve the nutrition of astronauts in space.
It’s not about creating organic matter out of nothing, but NASA has it all tied up. Specifically, this technology makes it possible to create a physical protein from the carbon dioxide found in the air. It sounds like science fiction, but it seems that the company Air Protein it has already achieved this on a small scale.
Its creator, Lisa Dyson, is a Ph.D. in physics and has been offering conferences and interviews on the subject for several years, delving into the possibilities revolutionary technology: “You don’t need any arable land. You can keep your habitat intact. You could climb vertically and produce food rain or shine, day or night. You can produce the same amount of protein as a soybean farm the size of Texas just by having an Air Protein farm the size of Disney World.”
The magic of fermentation that NASA wants to use
But what kind of witchcraft allows you to transform air into protein? The key lies in some microbes called hydrogenotrophs that thanks to fermentation manage to obtain viable organic compounds that can be transformed into amino acids. Hydrogenotrophic bacteria reduce carbon dioxide through hydrogen, obtaining organic compounds that can later ferment and give rise to amino acids that in turn form protein thanks to the presence of nitrogen. According to Air Protein, this basic protein contains twice the protein of soy, as well as all the essential amino acids that the human body needs and B vitamins.
However, the actual nutritional values behind this type of product are still unknown, as Air Protein seems to be the only company in the world that has taken this technology to the next level. To see if this protein really is as promising as it seems, we will have to wait to see the products on the market. Something that doesn’t seem so far away in time and less for NASA. According to Lisa Dyson, air-protein food marketing could be just around the corner, and it would only take a few years for us to see these products in our trusted supermarket.
Aerial Protein Benefits
The advantages of this method to obtain something similar to meat are quite interesting, since the problem of consumption of resources such as land and water. All this makes the technology in question a process with minimal impact on the environment: it has a negative carbon footprint that does not involve greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
In turn, the air is practically unlimited and is constantly being renewed, we could say that the creation of this type of food would have one of the most sustainable production cycles ever seen. In addition, it seems to be a fairly cheap technology –the magic words of NASA–, so we could see products on the market with an affordable price, contrary to what happens with other meat imitators: sometimes they are not suitable for all pockets.
On the other hand, the unknowns about the taste and other organoleptic parameters are more than evident. Will this airy protein really be able to emulate the taste of meat? It seems complicated, although it would be a wonder for NASA astronauts. At the moment, this air protein has been used to create chicken-like foods, with a neutral flavor that, thanks to spices and other condiments, can somehow simulate its classic avian flavor. To all this is added the possible rejection of consumers before the consumption of a raw material of dubious origin. As with laboratory meat, this aerial protein could arouse some suspicion among consumers.
However, the production process does not involve anything strange: it is a fermentation with microorganisms just like what happens when we make yogurt, cheese, wine or beer. It only involves one more twist that will allow human beings to continue innovating in food science and technology to continue offering solutions aimed at improving our quality of life.