Remember when we used to love going to the seashore and ending up fishing for our afternoon meal? Yeah, that can be outdated now. The sound of seagulls and waves crashing on the shore used to be a familiar backdrop to the process of catching our own seafood. But now, it seems that this age-old tradition could be on the brink of extinction. It’s time to forget your fishing rod and the beach, while a scientist invents his own seafood in his lab!
An Israeli food tech company has announced that it has successfully 3D printed a fish fillet that is ready to be cooked, using animal cells that were cultured and grown in a lab, marking a first in the industry.
As lab-grown beef and chicken continue to gain attention as a sustainable alternative to traditional farming methods and a solution to animal welfare concerns, few companies have ventured into the realm of lab-grown seafood. Israel’s Stakeholder Foods has recently teamed up with Singapore-based Umami Meats to create fish fillets that do not require the hunting of dwindling fish populations. With the partnership, the company aims to offer a more environment-friendly and humane approach to seafood production.
Umami Meats currently extracts cells from grouper and cultivates them to grow into muscle and fat tissue. These cells are then combined with a specialised “bio-ink” by Steakholder Foods that is suitable for 3D printing. The result is a thin fillet that closely mimics the texture and properties of fish caught in the ocean.
Once regulatory approval is obtained, the two firms plan to launch their lab-grown fish products in 2022, starting with Singapore and eventually expanding to other countries such as the United States and Japan. While cell cultivation remains expensive and cannot compete with traditional seafood’s cost, the companies have found a way to address this by diluting the fish cells with plant-based ingredients in the bio-ink.
This method helps reduce the cost while maintaining the final product’s quality and taste.
Steakholder Foods’ CEO Arik Kaufman commented, “As time goes by, the complexity and level of these products will be higher, and the prices linked to producing them will decrease.
On the other hand, Umami’s CEO Mihir Pershad said “We want consumers to choose based on how it tastes and what it can do for the world and the planetary environment. And we want to take the cost off the table as consideration.”
The development of lab-grown fish products has both potential benefits and drawbacks. On one hand, it has the potential to significantly reduce the environmental impact of traditional seafood production methods. However, there are also concerns that this new technology could disrupt natural food cycles and have unforeseen consequences on ecosystems.
Additionally, there are likely to be health concerns raised around the consumption of lab-grown fish products. Some people may be hesitant to consume food that is not naturally sourced, and there may be questions about the safety and long-term health effects of consuming lab-grown food.
Nothing that isn’t natural is that healthy. (just like artificial intelligence!)