Forsea Japanese Consumers Say Yes to Cultivated Eel

© Liran Maimon

Seafood

25% of Japanese Consumers Would Try Cultivated Eel Irrespective of Price

Research conducted by cultivated eel producer Forsea Foods has found surprising levels of enthusiasm towards eel alternatives in Japan, a country that reportedly consumes almost half the world’s freshwater eel supply. 35% of respondents expressed familiarity with cultivated seafood and a willingness to try cultivated eel, with a quarter saying they would purchase it irrespective of price. The remainder set limits on what they were willing to spend. Over a quarter of participants said they were intrigued by the technology behind cultivated food, while almost a third believed cultivated seafood was safer than conventional seafood due to a lack of contaminants such as heavy metals. Another third were attracted by the sustainability benefits of cultivated products, with almost 40% agreeing that the technology could prevent …

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Forsea's cultivated eel

© Liran Maimon

Cultivated Seafood

Forsea Achieves “Record-Breaking” Cell Density in Cultivated Eel Prodution

Cultivated seafood startup Forsea Foods announces a significant tech breakthrough for producing cultivated eel at scale. The Israeli startup claims it has reached a “record-breaking” cell density of over 300 million cells/ml using minimal growth media, setting a new industry standard. “This is the highest cell density recorded in the field, moving Forsea to the forefront of cultured seafood production efficiency,” the startup said. Forsea’s cultivated seafood platform implements organoid technology to create a natural growth environment for animal cells, forming three-dimensional tissue structures (whole cuts) without scaffolding. The technology also simplifies production, enhances scalability, and reduces the need for expensive growth factors. Moria Shimoni, CTO of Forsea, comments, “The breakthrough to this level of cell density highlights the strength of our organoid technology. It’s …

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Following the successful creation of a cultivated eel prototype claimed as the world’s first, Israel's Forsea Foods debuted the product at its first official tasting at Restaurant "a" in Tel Aviv.

© Liran Maimon

Company News

40 Guests Taste Forsea’s Cultivated Eel at Official Tasting: “Feedback was Uplifting”

Following the successful creation of a cultivated eel prototype claimed as a world first, Israel’s Forsea Foods announces it has recently debuted the product at its first official tasting at restaurant “a” in Tel Aviv. According to the announcement, more than 40 guests had the opportunity to taste Forsea’s cultivated eel fillets in various dishes. The menu’s centerpiece was Unagi kabayaki, a Japanese specialty of grilled fresh eel on a bed of aromatic rice (featured image). Roee Nir, CEO and co-founder of Forsea, shares, “Since the start of the year, we have made significant advancements in improving our cell lines. We also have been working diligently to enhance our recipes. This event was a great opportunity for us to present our unprecedented achievements to partners and …

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Cultivated eel dishes created by the vegan restaurant Saido.

© Anatoly Michaello

Cultivated Seafood

Forsea Develops World’s First Cultivated Eel Fillet, Plans Commercial Launch in 2025

Forsea Foods, a cultivated seafood startup from Israel, has unveiled what it claims is the world’s first cultivated eel prototype. According to the startup, the cultivated eel delivers the delicate texture and flavorful taste of the Japanese unagi eel (Anguilla japonica), renowned for its tenderness and rich flavor. To demonstrate the potential of its new development, Forsea worked with chef Katsumi Kusumoto of Saido, a popular vegan restaurant in Tokyo, to craft two traditional Japanese dishes — unagi kabayaki (marinated grilled eel over rice) and unagi nigiri. Since tastings of cultivated meat are not yet legally allowed in Japan, the prototype has not been served or tasted at Saido restaurant as yet, verifies the company. The Forsea and Saido teams met a few times in Japan and …

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Forsea Foods

© Forsea Foods

Cultivated Seafood

Forsea Foods Raises $5.2M for Cultivated Eel, Will Inaugurate Pilot Plant in 2023

Israel’s Forsea Foods, which claims to be the first startup to use organoid technology for its cultivated seafood process, has raised $5.2 million in a seed round led by Berlin-based Target Global. The new funding will accelerate R&D for cultivating eel meat, the company’s first targeted species, and the development of other fish. Forsea explains it has plans to inaugurate a pilot plant in 2023, allowing the company to create a preliminary design for a large-scale alpha production system and launch its first products. Non-GMO organoid technology According to Forsea, the company has developed a non-GMO organoid technology platform in which eel meat is grown ex vivo as a three-dimensional tissue structure without requiring the scaffolding stage. Forsea highlights that its organoid platform requires fewer bioreactors and growth …

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forsea foods cultivated eel used in a nigiri

© Forsea Foods

Cultivated, Cell-Cultured & Biotechnology

Israel’s Forsea Foods is “First to Cultivate Eel” Using Organoid Technology

Food tech Forsea Foods, based in Israel, claims to be the first startup to use organoid technology for its cultivated seafood process. Roee Nir, co-founder of Forsea, recently made public the company’s patented technology platform developed to harness natural tissue formation methods to produce healthy and tasty alt seafood. Forming fish tissues Organoid technology has been previously used in developmental biology, medicine, and research. It involves creating an ideal environment for fish cells to form their natural composition of native fat and muscle spontaneously. They grow as a three-dimensional tissue structure in the same way they would in a living fish, explains Biotechnologist Iftach Nachman, Forsea co-founder and developer of the technology. “The result is sustainably produced, succulent filets of cultured seafood that embody the same taste and …

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