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  • We have a constantly growing population.

  • This means we will need 50% to 70% more food by 2050.

  • So where are we going to find 50% to 70% more food in only 30 years?

  • Nature is already building and sustaining all life on Earth.

  • We don't have to reinvent the wheel, the calories we need

  • and we eat and we uptake from food comes from the sun

  • The starting point for all food on Earth is photosynthesis.

  • Sunlight combines with carbon dioxide and water in plants and forms oxygen and glucose.

  • This sugar is stored in fruits, roots and vegetables.

  • One startup in London thinks harnessing photosynthesis

  • in microscopic plants could go some way to

  • solving our planet's imminent food crisis.

  • We have to start with a microalgae strain

  • They are the fastest-growing, photosynthesizing organism on this planet.

  • These very tiny microscopic plants contain hundreds and hundreds

  • of very precious, healthy food molecules

  • that can be extracted and utilized in our own food.

  • Microalgaes aren't on many menus yet but they might be the new superfoods

  • packed full of vitamins, antioxidants and minerals they sustain trillions of animals on our planet.

  • Arborea claims its technology - the BioSolar Leaf - helps grow this food

  • at rates rarely seen in nature.

  • Arborea's BioSolar Leaf looks similar to a solar panel

  • It's a technology that can produce and can grow

  • hundreds of different microscopic plants to produce hundreds of different ingredients.

  • It enables to grow them very quickly but also in a very efficient way

  • therefore consuming a very little amount of energy

  • We can produce a lot of protein in a very small surface area. Imagine that we can produce

  • more protein for a defined surface area than any other plant-based or animal-based

  • source on this planet by orders of magnitude.

  • We harvest some of this liquid,

  • we separate the liquid from the microalgae and then we dry it and usually it's either

  • in a flake form or a powder form, ready to be shipped to food producers

  • so they can utilize them in all sorts of food products they want.

  • Arborea imagines their food being used as a supplement,

  • or being sold on its own in stores.

  • There are hundreds of thousands of species of microalgae, all with different qualities,

  • flavors and even colors - something that could be interesting to food producers.

  • What we can do with these ingredients that we extract from this microalgae

  • is that we can utilize them for all sorts of processed food.

  • It's not only replacing a synthetic or unsustainable food ingredients

  • But it's also adding health benefits,

  • active health benefits to our processed food.

  • Let's say that we have Arborea's 'Big Blue' together with a yogurt.

  • This yogurt might contain more antioxidant than you find in an apple.

  • Originally blue was associated with something synthetic,

  • something unhealthy, right?

  • Maybe blue is going to become the new color associated with health, why not?

  • Arborea's powdered food might not look all that appetizing,

  • but their intention is substance over style.

  • Feeding our growing population with the right things, in a better way

  • might improve our chances of future food security.

  • I strongly believe that if we as humans can harness photosynthesis

  • then we have high chances to help solve the issues that we are facing today

  • and that we will face in the future.

We have a constantly growing population.

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