Looking for a new plant-based protein option? Faux meat, also known as mock meat, has been gaining popularity among people worldwide. But now, there's a new mock meat option in the market: faux fish! An Israeli food-tech company called Steakholder Foods has created the world's first 3D-printed fish fillet that is ready to cook right after printing. How does it work? The company grows fish fillets in the lab using grouper fish cells. According to a Reuters report, Steakholder Foods has teamed up with Singapore-based Umami Meats to bring this new seafood option to the market. Have you tried faux fish yet? It might just be the next big thing!
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How the 3D-printed fish fillets are made?
Reportedly, Singapore-based Umami Meats extracts cells of grouper fish and artificially grows them into muscles and fats. Steakholder Foods then adds these compounds to a bio-ink and prints them into perfectly sliced fish fillets. For the unversed, bio-ink is a material, used to produce artificial live tissue, using 3D printing.
Also Read: Plant-Based Diet: Why Mock Meat Is Revolutionising The Food Industry - Expert Reveals
Are 3D fish fillets available in the market?
Reuters reports that Umami Meats is targeting to launch the product in the market by next year (2024). They plan to start it with Singapore and then extend it to countries like the United States and Japan.
Speaking about the world's first printed fish fillet, Mihir Pershad, Umami's chief executive, states that the researchers are still working on fish stem cell biology to understand "what the cells like to eat, how they like to grow, and there's just not so much literature to start from." Mr Pershad further explains that they have figured out a process for grouper and eel and hope to add three other endangered species in the coming months.
Wonder how these mock fish fillets taste? Arik Kaufman, the chief executive of Steakholder Foods, explains, "It has the flakiness of traditional fish and when fried and seasoned it is hard to tell the difference."
Are you interested in trying these unique fish fillets? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.