Rehovot, Israel-based food technology company Steakholder Foods has filed for a U.S. patent to use cell-cultured material to conduct 3D printing of a fish analog.
The structure of the new product is composed of several separate layers of crosslinked fish tissue, mimicking its real-world counterpart.
“The filing of this provisional patent application is another significant step forward in our ability to 3D print a wide variety of species," Steakholder Foods CEO Arik Kaufman said in a press release. "We are passionate and committed to using our technological versatility to make both the terrestrial and marine animal protein industries more sustainable."
Steakholder’s 3D-printing technology allows for a wide variety of cell-cultured seafood, species, and cuts, Kaufman said. And greater uptake of cultivated fish will reduce expected fish supply shortages as a result of climate change, overfishing, and growing consumer demand, he said.
In July 2022, Steakholder Foods announced a collaboration with Singapore-based cultivated seafood firm Umami Meats.
“We are delighted to establish this collaboration ... to expand our product range with their 3D-printing capabilities," Umami Meats CEO and Founder Mihir Pershad said. This partnership will enable us to build upon our technology platform for cultivating fish muscle and fat to produce a variety of structured products that meet the desires of discerning consumers. We believe cultivated seafood holds tremendous potential to provide a local, sustainable source of healthy protein and to address many of the challenges facing our food system and our oceans."
Photo courtesy of Steakholder Foods/LinkedIn
