Japanese food manufacturer Ajinomoto is best-known for its work with amino acid-based products like monosodium glutamate (MSG), but the firm has expanded into the better-for-you space with its 'conscious brand' Atlr.72.
The firm's first protein-enriched ice cream range has been dubbed Atlr.72 Flowering Ice Cream and is for sale only in Singapore, as this is the only market in the world where Solein has been approved for sale as a novel food product.
It also obtained the endorsement of the World Aquatics Championships being held in Singapore this year.
"Solein delivers a protein boost to indulgent products [such as ice cream] and can add outstanding nutrition with minimal environmental impact," said Solar Foods Chief Sales Officer Juan Benitez Garcia.
"Consumers are continuously looking for healthier and more sustainable indulgence alternatives and we are very excited to see Ajinomoto bringing such innovations to consumers."
Solein protein via a unique bioprocess, where a single microbe is fermented using just carbon dioxide from the air and electricity.
This makes its production independent of weather and climate conditions, land use and large-scale water consumption, and Solar Foods claims this to be 'the most sustainable protein in the world'.
Atlr.72 has introduced three flavours of protein-enriched ice cream for sale: Vanilla with mochi, Chocolate with lemon peel and Salty caramel with nuts.
"All the flavours are powered by Solein, which gives the ice creams a creamy consistency and rich mouthfeel while helping to reduce the environmental impact of the products," said Ajinomoto.
"The ice creams have a sunny yellow hue derived from the natural carotenoids in Solein, and we have also adorned all products with colorful cookies shaped like flowers and birds to convey the brand's message of leaving a beautiful nature and planet for the future."
Ajinomoto and Solein have been working together since 2023, and most of the products coming from this partnership so far have been dessert items such as ice cream, ice cream sandwiches and mooncakes, all housed under the Atlr.72 brand.
But given Ajinomoto's traditional expertise with amino acid products and umami innovation, it is not a big leap for the firm to expand Atlr.72 into savoury foods as well.
"Atlr.72 is our conscious brand to promote a new food lifestyle that is healthful and environmentally conscious, responding to consumers' growing demand for healthy and sustainable products," said the firm.
"[As such], we plan to expand beyond sweets into daily food options for consumers, [actively] utilising environmentally-conscious ingredients that are plant-based, cell-based, microbial-based and so on via through our Green Food business."
Ajinomoto would certainly be well-equipped to provide reduced-sodium food products for the market due to its expertise with umami, a taste that the firm believes is key to solving the sodium reduction conundrum in Asia.
Sodium reduction is an urgent issue in markets such as Indonesia where daily salt consumption rates are high due to consumer palates being extremely accustomed to heavily-flavoured cuisines.
Ajinomoto already has a wide range of salt-reduced products in its portfolio covering various brands from Thailand to Japan, and there is strong potential for the firm to bring similar innovation into the creation of better-for-you daily food options under the Atlr.72 umbrella.