Foodtech startup MeaTech 3D has successfully bioprinted a 3.67 oz (104-gram) cultivated steak, primarily composed of cultivated real fat and muscle cells, the Ness Ziona-based company announced Tuesday.
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MeaTech believes this to be the largest cultured steak produced to date.
"Today's breakthrough is the culmination of over one year's efforts in our cellular biology and high-throughput tissue engineering processes, as well as our precision bioprinting technology," said MeaTech CEO and CTO Sharon Fima.
"By bioprinting a 3.67 oz steak comprised of living tissue, we believe we have both validated our core technologies and placed ourselves at the forefront of the race to develop high-end, real cell-based cultivated premium meat products," Fima said.
The cells used to make the steak were produced using a proprietary process that isolates bovine stem cells from tissue samples and multiplies. Upon reaching sufficient cellular mass, stem cells were formulated into bio-inks compatible with MeaTech's proprietary 3D bio-printer. The bio-inks were printed from a digital design file of a steak structure. The printed product was placed in an incubator to mature, where the printed stem cells were differentiated into fat and muscle cells that develop into fat and muscle tissue, respectively, to form the MeaTech steak.
MeaTech's goal is to develop a true replacement for conventional steak that maximizes cell-based content rather than non-meat ingredients. The cultivated does not contain any soy or pea protein, substitutes typically used in plant-based meat alternatives.
The company intends to continue improving upon its bioprinting and cultivation technologies to produce cultivated meat that better mirrors the key characteristics of farm-raised, premium steak.
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