Steakholder Foods receives grant of up to US$1 million for collaboration with Umami Meats to 3D bio-print structured cultivated fish products

Steakholder Foods has received its first grant to develop 3D-printed structured eel and grouper products with Singaporean cultivated fish and seafood company Umami Meats. The initiative is being funded by a grant from the Singapore Israel Industrial R&D Foundation (SIIRD), a cooperation between Enterprise Singapore (ESG) and the Israel Innovation Authority (IIA).

Steakholder Foods' partnership with Umami Meats offers an opportunity for market entry in the only country in the world where cultivated meat has regulatory approval. The collaboration aims to develop a scalable process for producing structured cultivated fish products. Steakholder Foods will use its newly developed technology for mimicking the flaky texture of cooked fish that was recently submitted for a provisional patent application.

The project's first prototype, a structured hybrid grouper product, is expected to be completed by Q1 2023. The product will be printed using Steakholder Foods' proprietary 3D bio-printing technology and bio-inks that will be customized for Umami Meats' cells.

"Industry collaborations are a critical aspect of our long-term business strategy," said Yair Ayalon, VP of Business Development, Steakholder Foods. "Our partnership with Umami Meats is especially meaningful following our recent patent application for fish texture and because it is being supported by a joint Israeli/Singaporean government initiative of which we are very proud to be a part."

"We are thrilled to be combining our deep knowledge and experience in cultivated seafood with Steakholder Foods' innovative 3D bio-printing technology," added Mihir Pershad, CEO & Founder at Umami Meats. "We believe this partnership will help us advance our vision of a new, more sustainable food system for preserving our marine ecosystems while delivering exceptional, high quality seafood to meet growing consumer demand."