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.
"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
I do wonder what the whole environmental cost of the artificial fish is compared to "fished from the sea". The culturing nutrients have to come from somewhere.