If artificial eel meat could slow down overfishing of eel fry and still retain its delicious flavor and texture, would you pay for it?
Eel has become a delicacy on the table, and the pressure to survive has also increased. New start-up companies have invested in the research and development of artificial eel meat.
As wild eel fry decrease, eel prices continue to rise, but gourmets still can’t let go of their love for eel rice and eel sushi. Israeli food start-up Forsea Foods is developing artificial eel meat, using organoids (organoids) culture technology to produce eel meat.
"We can produce products that are exactly the same as eel in terms of taste, texture, appearance and nutritional value," said Roee Nir, co-founder and CEO of Forsea Foods. This cultivation technology is very suitable for use on seafood. Because the meat of seafood is uniform, unlike beef with fat distribution.
Forsea Foods was established in 2021, and its first product is aimed at artificial eel meat. Neil explained in an exclusive interview with "Spoon" that this is because the eel market is in short supply and the price is high, and eels are an endangered fish.
He pointed out that according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red Data, more than 700 edible species in marine ecosystems face extinction, and the number of eels has decreased by 90% to 95% in the past decade.
The reproductive process of eels is quite complicated. They grow in rivers, and when mature, they migrate to the ocean to lay eggs. They only lay eggs once in their lives. For many years, eel farming has relied almost entirely on wild-caught eel fry, resulting in excessive consumption of natural resources and a steady decline in the number of wild eel fry.
According to Forsea Foods, this cultured meat is grown in a manner similar to that of live fish and is expected to restore the true flavor of eel and alleviate the crisis caused by overfishing and pollution.
According to the Guardian, Forsea Foods uses embryonic stem cells from fertilized eel eggs to create organoids. These organoids can generate cultured meat on their own. Their tissue structure is just like real fish meat, and the final product also contains some plant ingredients. Like other cultured meats, Forsea Foods’ eel meat does not use antibiotics or hormones.
Forsea Foods has received more than US$5.2 million in investment. Artificial eel meat is expected to be on the market in 2025. The price will be around US$250 per kilogram, which is comparable to wild-caught eel.
Forsea Foods is collaborating with chef Katsuzo Kusumoto of Tokyo vegetarian restaurant Saido to develop eel dishes. Katsuzo Kusumoto said that eel dishes have always been Japanese favorites, but people have begun to realize the importance of sustainable eating.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida also announced last year (2023) that in order to achieve sustainable food supply, he would support the development of the cultured meat industry.
In addition to cultivating eel meat, Wildtype in the United States also claims to be able to cultivate "sushi-grade salmon"; Steakholder Foods in Israel is cultivating grouper meat; Shiok Meats in Singapore is targeting shrimp, lobster and crab; Cell4Food in Portugal is committed to producing cultured octopus meat. Put together, it may be a rich artificial seafood feast. This may be a more sustainable option, but consumer acceptance is still a big test.
References:
*The Guardian (22 January 2024), Reinventing the eel: first lab-grown eel meat revealed
*Forsea Foods official website
*PR Times (January 22, 2024), Forsea Foods がInitial training うなぎを発 table
*The Spoon (May 9, 2023), Dispatches from Israel Food Tech Ecosystem: Roee Nir, CEO and Cofounder of Forsea
*PR Newswire (October 26, 2022), Forsea Attracts USD5.2M to Expand Cultivated Seafood, Without Harming Sea Life
*New Food (January 22, 2024), news Forsea develops its first cultured eel prototype
Source: Environmental Information Center
