The pursuit of alternative proteins has led the food industry down many paths, but Julian Melchiorri, founder and CEO of Arborea, aims to forge a new one.

 Melchiorri developed the Biosolar Leaf, which can perform photosynthesis – a technology that Arborea has scaled to create plant-based proteins without the need for traditional farming.

FOOD ENGINEERING recently spoke to Melchiorri, as well as Dr. Kalyan Chatakondu, global commercial director, about the company’s Biosolar leaf technology, turning microscopic plants into valuable food ingredients, and its partnership with ABInBev.

FE: How did you become interested in biotechnology? How did you go about developing Biosolar Leaf?

Julian Melchiorri: My interest in biotechnology, and specifically the industrial photosynthesis of microorganisms, started from a desire to find innovative, but also truly scalable, solutions to some of the biggest challenges we face today, such as mitigating the effects of climate change, global food security, and sustainable resource management to prevent deforestation and loss of biodiversity, while still feeding the planet.

I developed the world’s first artificial leaf made entirely from biological materials while studying at Imperial College London. That early prototype, known as the Silk Leaf, was a material capable of performing photosynthesis.

The principles and insights gained from that early work laid the foundation for a far more scalable and industrially viable approach. I realized that the core idea could be applied on a much larger scale by using the same technology to cultivate microscopic plants like algae using just carbon dioxide and sunlight as free and unlimited feedstocks, industrializing what nature started over 3 billion years ago. This led me to found Arborea and develop our flagship technology, the Biosolar Leaf.

The Biosolar Leaf is a breakthrough technology that effectively cultivates virtually unlimited food on non-fertile land using just carbon dioxide and natural sunlight as feedstocks through the industrial photosynthesis of microalgae. It sequesters carbon dioxide emitted from any industry or from waste agricultural crops without the need for pressurization and uses natural sunlight as energy.

FE: Why pursue developing alternative proteins?

JM: The world needs to rethink how food is produced. Every minute, a land area the size of 17 football fields undergoes deforestation from climate change and the need for more and more fertile land for food.

The current agricultural system uses 70% of the world’s fresh water, and it is estimated that demand will exceed supply by over 40% by 2030. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the United Nations projections indicate that over 90% of the Earth's soils could become degraded by 2050.

The majority of the existing global food supply chain is already contaminated by microplastics, which are already food in plants, animals and humans. As the population grows, traditional animal and even plant protein production puts enormous pressure on dwindling natural resources like land and water, resulting in deforestation and biodiversity loss.

Alternative microbial biomass proteins potentially provide an unlimited and sustainable solution by offering nutritious and functional ingredients that use fewer resources and have a far smaller environmental impact — if they can be produced with a scalable technology.

At Arborea, we believe that microbial biomass systems such as ours can help transform the food system into one that is more sustainable, fair and resilient, feeding people well while protecting the planet for future generations.

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FE: How does the Biosolar Leaf work?

JM: The Biosolar Leaf is a unique cultivation system that mimics photosynthesis on an industrial scale by operating like the human lungs but in reverse.

It captures and “breathes in” carbon dioxide emitted from any industrial sources such as flue gases from boilers or by burning agricultural waste. It then uses natural sunlight to cultivate microscopic plants such as microalgae “breathing out” pure oxygen as the byproduct in an ultra-efficient, outdoor yet controlled, closed and easily scalable modular system.

We do not need lots of expensive pressurized gases, metal fermentation tanks and piping or feedstocks transported from other countries, nor do we use open ponds that could result in undesirable and even dangerous cross contamination of organic species or heavy metals.

The system is low capex, easily scalable, modular and can be sited anywhere in the world that there is carbon dioxide and sunlight.

Unlike traditional farming, which requires arable land and lots of water, the Biosolar Leaf technology can operate anywhere in the world on non-fertile land with a harvest 365 days of the year, instead of just once or twice. In fact, the bionutrients in the sidestreams of the process can potentially make fertile land more fertile so farmers can profit from both their non-fertile and their fertile land.

These microorganisms are the world’s first “superfoods” rich in proteins with a complete amino acid profile and with excellent digestibility, nutritious lipids and carbohydrates, and multiple bioactive vitamins and minerals.

After the biomass is harvested, all of these nutrients can be readily extracted especially as, for example, Spirulina is already 70% protein.

FE: What sustainability benefits does this method offer?

Dr. Kalyan Chatakondu: The Biosolar Leaf offers many sustainability benefits. It converts a greenhouse gas — carbon dioxide — from any source into unlimited food on non-fertile land with minimal water and natural sunlight as energy.

Since it does not require fertile farmland, it helps preserve vital ecosystems such as forests and wetlands. The system uses water very efficiently, which is increasingly important as freshwater becomes scarcer in many regions. Also, it does not produce nutrient runoff that harms aquatic environments, unlike the inorganic fertilizer used by conventional agriculture.

This method provides a scalable and efficient way to produce food ingredients while minimizing environmental impact and supporting a more sustainable future.

FE: What are the resulting protein products? In what food applications can they be used?

KC: Arborea’s technology can produce multiple food ingredients — in fact, any food ingredient found in any of the known 30,000 photosynthetic microalgae. The proteins we make are water soluble, neutral in taste and color, and are multifunctional with foaming, gelling and emulsifying properties. They are nutrient-rich with a complete amino acid profile, excellent digestibility and other beneficial bioactive micronutrients.

These proteins have such a clean taste and functional properties that they make versatile ingredients for use in virtually any everyday foodstuff without compromising on taste.

They can be used in many food products such as plant-based and hybrid milk alternatives, plant-based meat alternatives, nutritional supplements, bakery products and functional foods aimed at improving health.

The microalgae from which the proteins are derived also are good sources of nutrients such as antioxidants, essential fatty acids and bioactive vitamins and minerals for nutritionally dense foods. Hence, there is so much interest from major food corporations.

FE: Where does Arborea produce its proteins now? Can you describe the production process?

KC: At present, Arborea operates production facilities and microbiology laboratories in Lisbon, Portugal, where the Biosolar Leaf technology is being scaled up, with a supporting food science laboratory in London, UK, where example finished food prototypes are made.

The process starts by cultivating microscopic plants within the Biosolar Leaf system, which uses sunlight and carbon dioxide as the main inputs but is a closed, controlled, contaminant-free system, unlike open pond systems that can easily get cross contamination algae or heavy metal contamination.

The system’s design allows continuous gas exchange to create an ideal environment for the organisms to grow rapidly and naturally. When the biomass reaches the desired density, it is harvested daily and gently processed to extract proteins and other valuable ingredients.

The entire process is carefully managed to ensure high quality and purity for food applications while keeping environmental impact low.

FE: How did the partnership with AB InBev come about? What does it entail?

JM: Our early trial work with AB InBev began because both companies share a strong commitment to sustainability and innovation.

Carbon dioxide is a byproduct of brewing, which we saw as an opportunity to capture and reuse as feedstock for our BioSolar Leaf system. We started a pilot project to demonstrate how industrial waste gases can be transformed into sustainable proteins.

This collaboration shows how Arborea’s technology can be integrated into existing industrial operations to reduce emissions and create valuable products. It was an important first step toward commercializing our system and helping companies meet their environmental goals.

FE: As time goes on, what would you like to see happen?

JM: We now have multiple development works ongoing with major global food corporations across several food sectors, which is exciting. I would like to see Arborea’s Biosolar Leaf technology adopted in every region of the world.

I hope it will become a fundamental part of the global protein and food ingredient supply chain, helping to eventually decouple food production from environmental degradation. This will help us feed the world sustainably while protecting biodiversity and fighting climate change but also providing food security.

This technology is an “enabling technology” for virtually any ingredient found in any photosynthetic microalgae, so although today we are talking about protein and bioactive nutrients, the same technology can make essential omega-3 fatty acids, natural colors, biostimulants, and much more. We would like to see the full potential of this system harnessed in partnership with industry.

FE: Is there anything else you’d like to add?

KC: Arborea is driving a bold mission to fundamentally transform humanity’s relationship with food and nature.

By harnessing the power of nature’s own photosynthesis, but in an unique, ultra-efficient and scalable way, we are creating food systems that could actively regenerate ecosystems and restore the planet.

Our team of scientists and engineers is passionately committed to pushing the boundaries of innovation, sustainability and collaboration. We firmly believe that the solutions we develop will play a crucial role in addressing global food security while protecting and healing the environment.

Looking ahead, we are excited to scale our impact and partner with like-minded organizations that share our urgent vision for a truly sustainable and regenerative future. We can build a food system that nourishes people and the planet for generations to come.