It looks just like a regular fish fillet, but this grouper has never touched the ocean. In a world-first, scientists have 3D-printed a ready-to-cook fish fillet using cells grown in a lab—and they say it tastes just like the real thing.
This innovation comes from Israeli food-tech company Steakholder Foods, in partnership with Umami Meats from Singapore. Their lab-grown grouper is designed to offer the same flavor and flakiness as wild-caught fish, but without the environmental cost.
Why Print Fish?
Overfishing is a serious global problem. Around one-third of the world’s fish stocks are already overexploited or close to collapse. Grouper, a popular species, is especially at risk—with about 25% of its varieties facing extinction.
This 3D-printed fish is a step toward solving that. Not only does it help take pressure off marine life, but it also avoids many of the risks that come with traditional seafood, like exposure to mercury, microplastics, and antibiotics.
How It Works
It all starts with stem cells taken from real fish. These cells are placed in tanks filled with nutrients, where they grow and multiply. Eventually, they form the muscle and fat tissues that make up fish meat.
Once there are enough cells, they’re turned into a special “bio-ink” and printed using a 3D printer into the shape of a fish fillet. Unlike lab-grown meat, which needs weeks to mature after printing, these fish fillets are ready to cook right away—and the whole process takes just minutes.
At a tasting event in Israel, guests said the fillet had the same texture, flavor, and melt-in-your-mouth feel as freshly caught fish. Mihir Pershad, CEO of Umami Meats, summed it up simply: “It flakes, tastes, and melts in your mouth exactly like excellent fish should.”
Faux Fish Is Catching On
The demand for alternative seafood is growing fast. Just last year, another Israeli start-up called Plantish made headlines by creating a completely plant-based salmon steak using 3D printing. And big-name companies like Tesco, Nestlé, and Vegan Zeastar are rolling out fish-free seafood made from ingredients like seaweed, peas, and tapioca starch.
Steakholder Foods isn’t stopping with grouper. They’ve already created the largest 3D-printed real steak from animal cells and are now working with Umami Meats to create lab-grown eel.
Their mission? To bring delicious, sustainable meat and seafood to the table—without harming the planet.
As their motto says: “Devour a good steak. Not the planet.”
Source:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/03/21/3d-printed-cherry-cheesecak…
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/food-and-drink/features/fake-steak-vegan-fu…
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