Laboratory-grown eel meat, would you try it?

The food industry is advancing in the creation of new products that adapt to market needs and reduce environmental impact, and under these parameters the Israeli seafood company Forsea Foods presents a prototype of freshwater eel cultured with embryonic cells.

This is an innovation in the food industry, since it is the first of its kind and they hope to market it in 2025, and it seeks to prevent the wild eel population from becoming extinct with the production of laboratory eels.

Forsea CEO and co-founder Roee Nir told Brighter Future in a statement last week that the company “is a pioneer in fusing high-quality traditional Asian cuisine with innovative technology to create the world’s first cultured unagi.” .

All to provide “the consumer with a genuine seafood experience without putting greater pressure on aquatic life.”

While in 2022, he explained that “this fish is being sold at prices close to $70. Its population has decreased by between 90% and 95% in the last 30 years, which has led to its consumption quintupling compared to the previous 20 years. As such, today, the enormous need in the eel market cannot be met,” quotes New York Post.

Eel meat created in the laboratory from embryonic cells

The Forsea company created eel meat from water eel embryonic cells, which created an “ideal environment for the fish cells to spontaneously form their natural composition of native fat and muscle. “They grow as a three-dimensional tissue structure, just like in nature,” The Guardian reported.

Because it is a dish consumed in Japan, Forsea with the support of chef Katsumi Kusumoto developed two traditional Japanese dishes: unagi kabayaki, based on marinated grilled eel over rice, and unagi nigiri, a grilled eel sushi.

The chef highlighted the advantages of this type of meat and the preservation of the species. “Unagi is an enduring favorite in Japan; However, the timeless appeal of it is affected by a growing awareness among the Japanese population of the need to adopt a more sustainable approach.”

He also confesses that “it has been an exciting journey, joining forces with emerging innovators and working together to offer the traditional treat of unagi with a clear ecological conscience.”

Keep reading:

. Italy takes a step forward: prohibits the production and sale of cultivated meat

. The world’s first 3D printed vegan salmon, now in supermarkets

. Proteins from microbes: the space food proposal of a Finnish company

. Upheaval in the food industry: the United States approves the sale of chicken grown in laboratories