The world’s first printed and cultured spiked steak is being unveiled

The first bioprinted and cultivated 3D ribeye steak was made without genetic engineering. Created by Aleph Farms Limited and the Faculty of Biomedical Engineering at the Technion Institute of Technology – Israel, the steak also did not want to kill any animals. Didier Toubia, co-founder and CEO of Aleph Farms, shared more in an interview.

3D Bioprinting and Real Cow Cells

3D bioprinting uses cells instead of ink or plastic to make things. The cultivated ribeye from Aleph Farms is very similar to a regular steak, such as real muscle and fat. To create the meat, researchers used 3D bioprinting and real beef cells. The technology allows them to print live cells that can grow and interact in a virus-like system helping move nutrition and resemble a real steak.

“Our 3D bioprinting is a technique where we collect a highly structured piece of meat outside the animal from its natural building blocks, which are different types of living animal cells. The cells Natural, non-GMO and immortalized 3D bioprinted cloth is then introduced where the cells develop and interact in the same way as nature, giving the steak texture and properties to the stuff, “Toubia said.

The Aleph Farms process uses a fraction of the resources needed to raise an entire animal for meat, without antibiotics and without the use of fetal mushroom serum (FBS). Part of the cost savings come from using natural pluripotent cells that are cultivated in large quantities. Pluripotent cells, such as stem cells, can be used to make all other cell types in an organism.

“The natural pluripotent cells can multiply efficiently and can mature into the cell types that make up meat, such as muscle and fat cells. It is enough for us to harvest the cells once, and the approach we take is non-invasive, ”Toubia explained.

In 2018, Aleph Farms made steak with a thin cut, but the new product is thicker and fatter. The company is interested in creating other types of cuts to give consumers alternatives to traditional slaughtered meat or plant-based products.

Awaiting regulatory approval

Aleph Farms wants to build a diverse package of arable meat cuts that will fill dinner plates around the world. The company’s agricultural facilities known as BioFarms will be similar to yogurt production facilities at scale. Aleph Farms wants its first products to hit the market in the second half of 2022.

However, the company must first overcome regulatory hurdles before they can start selling the meat in the United States. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) monitor cell-based meat products but have not granted regulatory approval.

“We believe the U.S. is well positioned as one of the first countries in the world to purify arable meat. We have been interacting with both the FDA and the USDA,” Toubia said. .

Although the management process is time consuming, progress is being made. In 2020, Singapore made the first regulatory license for chicken with Eat Just cell culture. Finally, farmed meats may end up on store shelves ready for consumers who want an alternative meat option for dinner.