See Protein From Air Come to Life: Solar Foods Showcases Solein® Concepts at SupplySide Global 2025

Taste the future of protein production, and learn more in our podcast discussion and informative articles:

Solar Foods brings Solein® air-based protein to SupplySide Global 2025. Sample RTD beverages, protein shakes, and bars at Sensapure Flavors Booth 2651. Experience protein made 20x more efficiently than photosynthesis.

When we sat down with Solar Foods' team at IFT First on Episode #175 of the PricePlow Podcast, we explored one of the most revolutionary breakthroughs in supplement science: Solein®, a complete protein literally made from air. We discussed the technology, sampled their proof-of-concept products, and experienced firsthand how this golden protein powder translates into real applications.

Try Solein® from Solar Foods at Sensapure Flavors Booth 2651 (SupplySide Global 2025)

Now, industry professionals will get their own opportunity to taste that future. Solar Foods will be showcasing multiple Solein®-powered product concepts Booth 2651 (Sensapure Flavors) of SupplySide Global 2025, bringing a couple of the products we tested during our podcast recording.

From ready-to-drink protein beverages to protein bars (including that Butterfinger-style candy bar we couldn't stop talking about), these aren't theoretical formulations. They're functional products that demonstrate how air-based protein performs in real-world applications.

Before we dive into what you'll find at the show, subscribe to PricePlow for updates on Solar Foods and Solein®:

The Air-to-Protein Revolution Continues

Finnish company Solar Foods just made protein powder from literal air! Solein® uses microbes that eat hydrogen + CO2 to produce 78% protein with all essential amino acids. It's also already GRAS self-affirmed and in production.

For those just catching up, Solein® represents a fundamental shift in how humanity can produce protein. Using renewable electricity and naturally occurring Finnish microbes, Solar Foods has created a production process that's 20 times more efficient than photosynthesis -- the biological process that powers all current food production.

The result? A protein powder that's 80% protein by weight, contains all essential amino acids in optimal ratios, delivers naturally occurring vitamin B12, and provides exceptional levels of bioavailable iron. We've covered the nutritional profile extensively, and we're preparing a deep dive into the microbial technology that makes it all possible -- but today's focus is on what this ingredient becomes when formulation experts get their hands on it.

That's where Sensapure Flavors enters the story.

Sensapure Flavors x Solar Foods: A Partnership Built on Innovation

Solar Foods isn't attending SupplySide Global alone. They've partnered with Sensapure Flavors -- a company that's proven its expertise in conquering the most challenging protein flavoring problems. We covered Sensapure's capabilities at IFT FIRST 2025, where they demonstrated their mastery of novel protein challenges, from bright orange air-based proteins to bitter plant sources.

As Laura from Solar Foods explained in her note about the event:

"We're attending the event to demonstrate Solein's capabilities and suitability for different use cases across consumer products, especially in the Health & Performance nutrition category.

The product concepts for high-in-protein and sugar-free ready-to-drink protein drinks and ready-to-mix protein shakes can be easily adjusted to meet different consumer needs, from supporting an active lifestyle or condition-based nutritional needs to boosting physical performance."

The collaboration makes strategic sense. Solar Foods brings revolutionary protein technology, while Sensapure brings deep expertise in American flavor preferences and formulation capabilities. Together, they've created multiple product concepts specifically designed for the US market.

What You'll Experience at Booth 2651

Visit Sensapure Flavors at Booth 2651 during SupplySide Global, and you'll find an array of Solein®-powered products available for sampling:

Sensapure Flavors turned bright orange air-based protein into delicious salted caramel and chai beverages. When novel proteins change the game, Sensapure makes them taste good.

• Ready-to-Drink Protein Beverages

  Solar Foods and Sensapure have co-developed multiple flavor combinations for protein drinks. These aren't your standard protein beverages -- they leverage Solein®'s natural creamy mouthfeel and emulsification properties to create smooth, satisfying drinks without requiring additional stabilizers.

  During our podcast recording, Sini Möttönen (Senior Application Scientist at Solar Foods) walked us through their flavor development process. The breakthrough? Solein®'s inherent creaminess pairs exceptionally well with bright, fresh flavor profiles. This led to the creation of their signature "velvet lemon" concept, combining that natural creaminess with vibrant citrus notes that American consumers find appealing.

• Ready-to-Mix Protein Shakes

  The RTM concepts demonstrate Solein®'s versatility in powder applications. With 80% protein content and complete amino acid profiles including 20% BCAAs, these formulations deliver serious nutritional density in convenient formats. The protein naturally provides texture and mouthfeel advantages, making it an ideal base for performance-focused products.

• Protein Bars and Snacks

  Here's where things get really interesting -- and delicious. Solar Foods will showcase their own protein bar concepts, including variations that taste remarkably similar to classic candy bars. We're talking about that Butterfinger-style creation that became a highlight of our podcast recording.

  

  The bars demonstrate something crucial: Solein® doesn't just work in beverages. Its functional properties, golden color, and subtle nutty notes translate beautifully into solid food applications. These aren't compromised "healthy versions" of snacks. They're genuinely satisfying products that happen to deliver exceptional nutrition.

From Podcast Tasting to Trade Show Reality

When the Solar Foods team joined us for Episode #175 of our Podcast, they brought an array of product concepts for us to sample. We envisioned the ice cream. We tried the protein drinks. We couldn't stop talking about those protein bars.

What made the experience remarkable wasn't just the unique taste. It was the realization that these products contain protein made through an entirely different process than any other protein source on earth. No farms. No animals. Not even plants in the traditional sense. Just air molecules, renewable electricity, and ancient Finnish microbes doing what they've been perfected to do over millions of years.

Now, attendees at SupplySide Global will have that same opportunity. You'll be able to taste these concepts, ask technical questions about formulation, and discuss how Solein® might work in your own product development pipeline.

The Technology Behind Solein®

Solar Foods' Factory 01 in Finland produces Solein® protein from air molecules using chemosynthesis microbes. 20x more efficient than photosynthesis, no farms needed. Commercial protein production from literal air is now reality.

While you're sampling products at Sensapure's booth, remember what's happening at the molecular level. Solein® represents two parallel technological achievements:

First, there's the gas fermentation platform -- the industrial hardware that enables this process. We've covered that technology extensively, exploring how Factory 01 in Finland uses water electrolysis to split H₂O into hydrogen and oxygen, then feeds those gases to microbes in precisely controlled bioreactors.

But the industrial hardware is only half the story.

The other half is the microbe itself -- a naturally occurring organism discovered in Finland's pristine environment. This isn't a genetically modified organism engineered for a specific purpose. It's an ancient biological technology that Solar Foods discovered and learned to cultivate at scale.

We're preparing an in-depth article exploring this microbial marvel: how it performs chemosynthesis instead of photosynthesis, why that process is so much more efficient, and what makes this particular microorganism so well-suited for protein production. The upcoming article, titled "The Living Technology Inside Solein®: How Ancient Microbes Become Complete Protein", will dive deep into the biological systems that make Solein® possible.

Consider this your advance notice that there's much more to this story than industrial fermentation tanks and food science formulation. There's evolutionary biology, microbial metabolism, and the elegant efficiency of natural systems that have been refining their processes for millions of years.

Beyond SupplySide: The Broader Solein® Story

The product concepts at SupplySide Global represent just one chapter in a larger narrative about transforming food production.

Solein® has already earned NASA recognition for its potential in space applications. When you're heading to Mars, you can't pack enough traditional protein for a multi-year mission. But if you can produce protein from the spacecraft's own atmosphere using renewable electricity? That changes everything. The Deep Space Food Challenge validated what Solar Foods has been demonstrating: this technology works for extreme environments where traditional agriculture simply isn't possible.

Factory 01 in Finland is currently producing commercial quantities of Solein®, scaling from initial production targets of 3,000 tons toward their 12,000-ton capacity goal. This isn't pilot-scale production or limited test batches. It's real manufacturing, producing ingredient that's entering global supply chains.

Multiple companies have announced partnerships for product launches, with several products expected to reach consumers before the end of 2025. The specific timeline depends on individual brand development cycles, but the momentum is building.

What This Means for the Supplement Industry

The products you'll taste at SupplySide Global aren't just novel flavors or interesting formulations. They represent a fundamentally different approach to meeting humanity's protein needs... one that's location-independent, weather-independent, and dramatically more efficient than current production methods.

For the supplement industry, this opens new possibilities:

• Sustainability without compromise: Products can deliver exceptional nutrition while genuinely reducing environmental impact -- not through carbon offsets or optimized agriculture, but by bypassing traditional food production entirely.
• Complete nutrition in novel formats: Solein®'s complete amino acid profile, naturally occurring B12, and high iron content mean formulators can achieve nutritional goals that typically require multiple ingredient sources.
• Clean label advantages: Because the microbes aren't genetically modified and the process doesn't require synthetic additives, products can maintain clean label status while delivering cutting-edge nutrition.
• Scalability potential: As Solar Foods builds additional production facilities, volume availability will expand beyond early adopter brands to broader market opportunities.

Your Invitation to Experience the Future

SupplySide Global 2025 offers something rare: the chance to taste products made from a protein source that didn't exist in commercial production just a few years ago. Visit Sensapure Flavors at Booth 2651 to:

• Sample multiple Solein®-powered product concepts
• Discuss formulation applications with experts from both companies
• Learn about technical specifications and ingredient availability
• Explore how this technology might work for your brand

We're living through a remarkable moment in food technology. A protein source that was purely theoretical a decade ago is now available in commercial products.

Juan Benítez-García and Sini Möttönen from Solar Foods reveal how ancient Finnish microbes and renewable electricity create Solein®, the revolutionary protein made "out of thin air" on Episode #175 of the PricePlow Podcast.

If you want a preview of what you'll experience, listen to our complete conversation with Juan and Sini in Episode #175 of the PricePlow Podcast. We cover the technology, taste the products, and explore why this ingredient is generating so much excitement in the supplement industry.

Whether you're a brand formulator exploring novel ingredients, a nutrition scientist interested in alternative proteins, or simply someone who appreciates breakthrough technology, Booth 2651 deserves a spot on your SupplySide Global itinerary.

The future of protein production isn't coming someday. It's already here, it tastes better than you'd expect, and you can experience it yourself in just a few weeks.

And stay tuned for our upcoming deep dive into the microbial technology that makes it all possible. Because understanding what happens inside those bioreactors -- and inside the microbes themselves -- reveals just how elegant and efficient this solution really is: