Steakholder Foods, formerly MeaTech 3D (NASDAQ: MITC), is launching a new 3D bioprinting business model that promises to advance the cultivated meat revolution.
In addition to its cultivated meat development, the Israeli company will provide 3D bioprinters and bioinks to B2B meat manufacturers and cultivated meat producers to create delicious, nutritious, safe cultivated meat.
Steakholder Foods’ competitive advantage relies on its expertise in 3D bioprinting technology and its ability to create structured end products that closely mimic real meat in terms of taste, texture, and appearance. The team at Steakholder Foods has been working towards developing this technology for over four years.
Using its bioprinting platform, Steakholder Foods revealed the world’s largest-ever 3D-printed cultivated steak in 2021; and the world’s first 3D-printed cultivated fish fillet, developed in partnership with the Singaporean cultivated seafood expert Umami Meats.
The bioprinters
Steakholder Foods has developed two types of printers — Ready-to-Cook (RTC) and the 3D printer for incubated products — which the company claims are state-of-the-art technologies.
The RTC printer produces a hybrid cultivated meat product made from cultivated and plant-based ingredients. It uses either DropJet technology, which is based on drops of gel-based materials to create a 3D structure; or fusion technology, which extrudes paste materials through a narrow nozzle, to create a product that simulates conventional meat fibers.
The 3D printer for incubated products, such as tissue-engineered steak, is the industry’s holy grail, says the food tech. It’s designed to produce a fully matured, cultivated, printed meat product that requires live cells to grow, differentiate, and mature, forming complex fibrous tissue that resembles the texture and taste of conventional meat. This printer will integrate into the industry when cultivated meat products can be developed at scale at lower costs.
Bioinks
Bioinks, a mixture of plant-based ingredients and cultivated cells, are integral to the company’s 3D printing technology. They ensure the production of tasty, safe, and consistent products.
According to Steakholder Foods, future clients will purchase customized bioinks tailored to their needs and meat preferences.
Arik Kaufman, CEO of Steakholder Foods, said: “By offering 3D printing production methodologies to B2B clients, Steakholder Foods has the opportunity to become a backbone supplier that enables the production of products that consumers seek and expect. Our 3D bio-printing technology and customized bio-inks reflect our commitment to revolutionizing the food industry.”
