Singapore became the first country to approve the commercial sale of a protein grown “out of thin air”, according to its marketing tagline. Solein, a yellow powder resembling grated parmesan, is the product of microbes that are fed gases – carbon dioxide, hydrogen and oxygen – and nutrients. According to its developer, the Finnish company Solar Foods, it will be used in products such as plant-based meats, breads and spreads.

Singapore has emerged as a global hotspot for the alternative protein industry, with startups flocking to the island to develop and launch animal-free alternatives to traditional meat products.

The world’s leading food industry players converged on the city-state last week for the Asia-Pacific agri-food innovation summit, where several dozen startups and thinktanks agreed to henceforth refer to lab-grown meat – also known as cellular agriculture – as “cultivated meat”.

Mirte Gosker, managing director of the thinktank Good Food Institute (GFI) Asia-Pacific, says Singapore is “without question the leading alternative protein hub in Asia – and arguably the world”. According to the institute, there are now at least 36 alternative protein companies based in the city, which have collectively raised more than US$213m in funding.

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