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Organoids, previously used in developmental biology and medical research, are three-dimensional tissue structures derived from stem cells.
In cell-cultured seafood, these tiny, self-organized 3D tissue cultures can grow as a three-dimensional structure in the same way that they grow in a living animal. By creating the right environment for the organelles to grow, Forsea Foods – a seafood-focused startup – can make fish cells ‘spontaneously’ form natural fat and muscle.
The approach, developed by Forsea co-founder Dr. Eftach Nachman, differs from how most other cellular agriculture innovators grow animal cells in bioreactors. Generally, once a cell line has been selected, these cells divide rapidly to form a large number of cells before being moved to a new location and stimulated to differentiate into a mature cell type such as fat or muscle. Scaffolding, intermediate composition, or both changes.
Forsey Foods technology offers two distinct advantages. You don’t need a lot of growth medium and you don’t need scaffolding to allow different cells to interact in a 3D environment.
“Cell culture usually focuses on direct differentiation systems, where cells are marked to differentiate into a specific cell type and then assembled on a basket. Our system grows the sum of the different cells at an early stage of the process. The cells self-organize into their natural, intended structure, just like in nature.Nachman, principal investigator at Tel Aviv University, explained.
“A common practice in meat production companies involves the growth of different cells (muscle, fat, muscle fibers, etc.) in different bioreactors, the ability to communicate in a 3D environment, and then the use of scaffolds to fully mature them. A little tissue.”Explained co-founder and CEO Roy Neer later. “When one wants to produce a complete incision, another cavity or scaffolding system is needed to transport nutrients and waste to the cells due to the lack of a vascular system. Foccia technology eliminates the first incision stage described above. We are currently investigating the next stage and hope to have some results soon. he told FoodNavigator.
“[This] It is a highly scalable platform that bypasses scaffolding and requires fewer bioreactors. This makes the process much easier and more cost-effective. Additionally, it greatly reduces the amount of expensive growth factors required.
Because Forsea Foods does not use direct differentiation techniques, the required amount of growth medium—a major input cost for cellular ag companies—is required. “We provide our organoids with an exogenous signal and correct media components for production of most growth factors. The cells growing in the organelle use the nutrition we give them to synthesize growth factors – just like nature. We found that for certain growth factors – which are very expensive – we can save up to 90% of their use.”Nir list.
According to Forsea, the result is nutritionally identical farmed seafood products that ‘contain the same taste and textural characteristics as their ocean-caught counterparts’ but without the risk of contamination from contaminants such as mercury, industrial chemicals and microplastics.
Going to market with fresh water eels
Forsea Foods was established last October. After being nurtured by the Israeli startup incubator Kitchen FoodTech Hub, it received initial capital support from the Israel Innovation Authority (IIA) and the Strauss-Group.
The company is now preparing to bring its first products to market.
We’re told Forsea’s technology can be used to create ‘any type of seafood and fish as well as beef, pork or chicken’. However, the Israeli startup’s focus is on seafood, and the company plans to launch with freshwater eels.
“Eels are a highly sought-after delicacy, especially in East Asia. However, overfishing in recent decades has made them an endangered species. The Japanese eel population alone has declined by 90-95%, raising prices to astronomical levels. Eel meat sells for up to $70 per kilogram in Japan.Nir explained.
The combination of market and conservation opportunities makes eels an attractive target for the first commercial production of Phocea.
“They are considered the most mysterious creatures in the ocean, with extraordinary metamorphosis.”Nir reflected.
Raising edible eels is complicated by the inability to reproduce in captivity. They spend most of their lives in freshwater and when ready to breed, swim 7,000 km into the deep ocean to either meeting point: the Sargasso Sea, near the Bermuda Triangle, or off Guam. And after birth they die. Baby eels weighing two grams are brought back by ocean currents. These fish are grown in controlled ponds, in a year and a half, they turn into adults of 250 grams.
“The market demand for eels is huge. In 2000, the Japanese consumed 160,000 metric tons. But due to overfishing and inflation, consumption has dropped to only 30,000 metric tons. There is a huge gap between supply and demand for eels that traditional aquaculture cannot handle. Exacerbating this problem, Europe has banned all exports of eel products.Nir concluded.
Forsea plans to meet this demand by partnering with local and international players to market and distribute EL products.
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