We have a constantly growing population. This means that 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 start-up 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 the microalgae strain. 

They are the fastest growing photosynthesising organism on this planet. These very tiny microscopic plants contain hundreds and hundreds of very precious, healthy food molecules that can be extracted and utilised 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 like 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 very little amount of energy. 

We can produce a lot of protein in a very small surface area. So 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 in a powder form, ready to be shipped to food producers so that they can utilize them in all sorts of food products that 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, flavours and even colours, 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 utilise 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 arboreous big green  together with a yogurt. This yogurt might contain more antioxidants than you find in an apple. Originally, green 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 appetising, 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. 

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