In the past two years, Israel's Steakholder Foods (formerly MeaTech 3D) has brought us a lab-grown steak and lab-grown Wagyu beef morsels. Now, it has produced what it says are the world's first whole fillets of cultivated fish … grouper, to be precise.
The fillets – which have yet to enter the market – were created via a partnership between Steakholder Foods and Singapore's Umami Meats. The latter supplied natural grouper cells, which Steakholder cultivated and incorporated into a 3D-printable bio-ink.
The resulting fillets are ready to cook immediately after being bioprinted, boasting a natural flaky texture thanks to "a newly developed patent-pending technology." By contrast, other lab-grown meats require an incubation and maturation period after being printed.
And yes, the fillets reportedly also taste like real grouper – which they are, in a way. At a recent tasting event held at the Steakholder facilities, special guests had a chance to sample Singaporean and Israeli-style dishes which incorporated the fillets.
![One of the dishes offered at the tasting event](https://assets.newatlas.com/dims4/default/2ddf0e7/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1920x1280+0+0/resize/1440x960!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnewatlas-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F8f%2F47%2F712ab1114d5fb13982e58ec8b588%2F342995313-3473520506258852-8848826534566617540-n.jpeg)
"We are delighted to have produced the world's first whole fillet cultivated fish in partnership with Steakholder Foods," said Umami Meats CEO, Mihir Pershad. "In this first tasting, we showcased a cultivated product that flakes, tastes, and melts in your mouth exactly like excellent fish should. In the coming months, we intend to announce our plans for bringing this world-class cultivated fish to the market."
The two companies are also collaborating on the development of cultivated eel.
Source: Steakholder Foods