On the Dining Table, Meat and Fish Made with 3D Printing Appear

Cultured Seafood and Meat with Original Taste and Texture... Commercialization Imminent
Pulmuone to Launch Cultured Seafood New Product Domestically by End of Next Year
Dana Green Aims for Cultured Meat Commercialization within 3 Years
Plant-Based Meat Market Expands... Lotte Food Introduces New Product This Month

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Saeng-hye] Shrimp-shaped and tasting exactly like shrimp, but made in laboratories and factories, shrimp meat and beef that are identical to real beef but produced in factories are appearing on dining tables. The commercialization of 'cultured seafood' and 'cultured meat' is just around the corner.

◇Actual seafood and meat production in factories= According to the distribution industry on the 10th, Pulmuone plans to introduce new cultured seafood products domestically as early as the end of next year. To this end, on the 9th, it signed a business agreement with BlueNalu, an innovative food company that produces seafood by culturing fish cells, regarding the cultured seafood business. The cultured seafood developed jointly by Pulmuone and BlueNalu is manufactured in forms suitable for various uses through a process of culturing stem cells extracted from fish in a bioreactor and then undergoing 3D printing. The aquaculture technology is non-GMO and enables the production of various species of seafood free from microplastics, toxic substances, mercury, and other contaminants.

At the BlueNalu headquarters in San Diego, California, USA, Lee Sang-yoon, Director of Pulmuone Technology Institute (left), and Lou Cooperhouse, CEO of BlueNalu, shake hands after signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).

A Pulmuone official explained, "Because it goes through a 3D printing process, the food forms will be diverse," adding, "The directions for product launches are endless, such as shrimp bundles made from cultured meat or shrimp-flavored products processed into convenient meal forms." Pulmuone plans to import products produced in the U.S., obtain FDA approval, and then produce cultured seafood at its own U.S. factory under the Pulmuone brand.

Cultured meat follows the same principle. It refers to meat produced by growing animal cells in a cultivation facility rather than by slaughtering animals. Cells are taken from specific parts of animals, stem cells are extracted, and then grown into protein tissues. Compared to traditional livestock farming methods, energy use can be reduced by up to 55%, water by 96%, greenhouse gas emissions by 96%, and land use by 99%. It is emerging as the next-generation alternative food source because large quantities of meat can be obtained without housing animals in poor conditions or slaughtering them.

◇Cultured seafood commercialized in 2021, cultured meat in 2023= Domestic startups and biotech companies are also accelerating the development of cultured seafood and cultured meat. Bio startup DanaGreen began developing cultured meat last March by cultivating and differentiating stem cells in a 3D scaffold structure that mimics the in vivo environment to culture mini-organs. This month, they plan to hold a tasting event for cultured beef and pork using stem cells for internal staff. DanaGreen stated, "We are conducting research to enhance the flavor of the meat," and "We plan to publicly hold a cultured meat tasting event for the media by the end of this year." Their goal is commercialization in 2023.

Global genomics company EDGC (Eone Diagnomics Genome Center) has entered the cultured meat business by collaborating with agricultural biotech venture Noah Biotech to produce thick steaks using 3D bio-printing technology with stem cells derived from cow muscles. The research teams of both companies have secured technology that uses 3D bio-printing to print biomaterials containing muscle and fat cells derived from cows into three-dimensional shapes and rapidly cultivate them in 3D culture conditions. Through 3D bio-printing-based tissue engineering technology, they are working to produce cultured meat in thick steak sizes and supply it in large quantities at low cost. A prototype is planned to be unveiled within three years.

◇Plant-based protein alternative meat= While cultured seafood and cultured meat are currently in development and commercialization stages, plant-based alternative meat is already expanding its market. It is gaining popularity by replicating the taste and texture of meat without using actual animals. Lotte Foods plans to launch a new hamburger steak version of its plant-based alternative meat brand 'Ennature Zero Meat' within this month. Ennature Zero Meat is a plant-based alternative meat developed by Lotte last April. A Lotte Foods official said, "Both products were recognized for using 100% plant-derived ingredients and were the first in Korea to receive vegan certification from the Korea Vegan Certification Institute at launch," adding, "As the alternative meat market is expected to grow significantly, we plan to continuously expand our product lineup."

Dongwon F&B has expanded the sales channels of the plant-based alternative meat brand Beyond Meat from department store food halls and online to large retailers such as E-Mart and Lotte Mart since April. CJ CheilJedang is also focusing on research at CJ Blossom Park, its food and bio integrated research center in Suwon Gwanggyo, securing core technologies in anticipation of the alternative meat market fully launching next year.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.