Steakholder Meals, a pioneer within the 3D meat and fish printing expertise and cultivated cell innovation, simply launched the world’s first plant-based, 3D printed eel. This breakthrough highlights Steakholder Meals’ exceptional functionality to precisely replicate the complicated texture of eel, achieved via precision layering and a singular mixture of supplies in Steakholder Meals’ proprietary 3D printing expertise. The Firm’s eel is at present primarily based on plant supplies and is predicted to incorporate cultivated eel cells sooner or later, as economies of scale enable price-competitive cell growth.

The corporate’s distinctive Dropjet printing course of permits it to considerably scale back the quantity of substances utilized in its 3D printed product relative to typical plant-based alternate options, doubtlessly positioning Steakholder Meals’ plant-based, 3D-printed eel on the forefront of the {industry}.

Steakholder Meals was awarded a $1 million grant earlier this yr to develop the 3D printed eel product. The corporate is now exploring collaborations to commercialize its plant-based, 3D printed eel by providing them proprietary 3D printers and ink, able to producing revenues within the brief time period. Based mostly on Steakholder Meals’ present expertise capabilities, it estimates that its companions and clients will have the ability to mass-produce 3D-printed eel at a aggressive value vary, enabling them to deal with the associated fee challenges linked to the present world costs of eel.

Unagi is a delicacy in Japanese delicacies but it surely’s additionally a well-liked meals in lots of Southern European nations. The worldwide eel market, valued at USD 4.3 billion in 2022 and rising at a CAGR of two.19%, primarily depends on wild eel. This {industry} faces a number of vital challenges, together with overexploitation and the chance of extinction, notably in Japan which accounts for a significant portion of worldwide eel consumption. Breeding difficulties in farms as a result of complicated life cycle of eels, regulatory challenges, and points like poaching and black-market buying and selling additional exacerbate the scenario, highlighting the necessity for sustainable alternate options.

Arik Kaufman, CEO of Steakholder Meals stated: “The launch of our 3D printed eel marks a pivotal second within the seafood {industry}, showcasing the huge potential of our DropJet expertise – Steakholder Meals’ answer for fish and seafood printing. This expertise is designed to allow companions to generate merchandise on a possible industrial scale of lots of of tons month-to-month, not solely at decrease prices in comparison with wild eel, but additionally with the pliability to create numerous printed merchandise utilizing the identical manufacturing line. Such versatility might considerably enhance profitability for meals firms and prepared the ground to a shift in direction of extra environment friendly and sustainable practices within the {industry}. This product exemplifies the broader prospects our expertise gives our companions.”