Israeli biotech Steakholder Foods (Nasdaq: STKH), a cultivated meat and 3D bioprinting technology leader, unveils what it claims to be the world’s first plant-based 3D-printed shrimp.
Steakholder Foods’ food team utilized its DropJet printer and shrimp-flavored inks developed in-house to “precision-print” the analogs, layer-by-layer. Combining these technologies allows the company to recreate the texture and flavor of shrimp, offering a realistic alternative. The ingredients for the inks have not been disclosed.
Initially, the Israeli company intends to offer 3D-printed plant-based shrimps to potential clients, and eventually, it will launch hybrid shrimps, combining cultivated cells and plant proteins, after its cultivated platform achieves economies of scale to provide a price-competitive product.
The news follows the company’s first incursion into the 3D-printed plant-based category with a realistic eel fillet made with “a unique combination of plant materials” and the precise layering printing technology discussed above.
Delicious alternatives more quickly
The global shrimp market is valued at over $60 billion and is expected to grow significantly in the coming years, with 7.6 million tons of shrimp harvested in 2023. Steakholder Foods aims to address the rising demand through its high-volume, efficient, and sustainable production capabilities.
Stakeholder Foods is a global deep-tech food company pioneering cellular agriculture since 2019. The company, headquartered in Rehovot, Israel, focuses on developing slaughter-free solutions, including beef and seafood, to offer manufacturers an alternative to industrialized farming and fishing.
Using its cell ag and bioprinting platforms, 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, last year.
A new business model for alt seafood
In addition to its cultivated meat development, the biotech launched a new business model last year to advance the alternative protein industry. The idea is to provide 3D bioprinters and bioinks to B2B meat manufacturers and cultivated meat producers to create delicious, nutritious, safe alternatives to meat more quickly.
Steakholder Foods’ competitive advantage relies on the ability of its tech to create structured end products, either using plants or a combination with cells, to closely mimic real meat. With the new plant-based prototypes, the company showcases what its advanced printing technology can achieve.
Arik Kaufman, CEO of Steakholder Foods, shared: “By unveiling a second new species of plant-based, 3D-printed seafood this month, we expect to position Steakholder Foods to sell and deliver its first DropJet printer in 2024, offering partners and customers a unique opportunity to benefit from the expanding global seafood market, while making the right kind of impact on the environment.”
