Selmit's Dokdo Shrimp Cultured Meat, Only MFDS Approval Process Remains

- Crustacean Cultured Meat Developed with Purely Domestic Technology, Countdown to Popularization
- Praised in Taste Tests for Quality Comparable to Real Seafood

Selmeet is entering the alternative meat market with a cell-cultured food product made from Dokdo shrimp, a luxury seafood item. Having completed the development of prototypes and menus using cell-cultured Dokdo shrimp, the company is now only awaiting approval from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety before full-scale sales begin.

On the 20th, cell-cultured meat startup Selmeet announced that it has completed the development of crustacean alternative meat and established production facilities for full-scale sales. Additionally, the company is currently undergoing the approval process with the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, which is expected to be the first case of cell-cultured crustacean meat approval.

Founded in 2019, Selmeet has gained attention both domestically and internationally. This is because it possesses all the core competencies required for cultured meat production. The company independently researched and developed every process, from cell extraction to mass cultivation, including non-animal serum-free culture media and edible scaffolds. This technological expertise has been recognized and publicized through overseas research institutions and foreign media.

Selmeet focused on shrimp cells because, although initial investments were concentrated on companies researching cattle, pigs, and chickens, there are few organizations studying crustaceans. To gain competitiveness on the global stage, differentiation was necessary, along with concerns and interest regarding marine environmental pollution.

Park Gil-jun, CEO of Selmeet, said, “The eco-friendly cultured meat market is attracting worldwide attention, with active investment and research. Since it can also help reduce global greenhouse gas emissions, we hope the government will respond quickly at the national level.”

Among crustaceans, Selmeet isolated and cultured cells from Dokdo shrimp, a luxury seafood representing Korea, and introduced various menus. In addition to internal prototypes, the company has continuously collaborated with famous restaurants for menu development, similar to Memphis Meats and JUST in the United States. Alongside popular menus like shrimp burgers and fried shrimp, they have prepared various items such as cell-cultured caviar and cube-shaped shrimp meat, which have recently become topics of interest, and completed preparations for mass production.

Selmeet independently developed all processes for cultured meat production. In particular, the crustacean-specific culture media rapidly promoted cell growth, enhancing productivity. Prior to certification by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, Selmeet invested approximately 15 billion KRW to build a 350㎡ production center capable of mass-producing Dokdo shrimp cells, with an annual production capacity of about 200 tons.

The company also spent over 2 billion KRW on research over two years to build a database for certification. As Selmeet’s business falls within the green bio sector, which the government has designated as a next-generation national core project, rapid progress is anticipated.

CEO Park added, “We hope the approval process proceeds quickly so that we can secure overseas markets beyond Korea. We want to contribute to reducing greenhouse gases in response to global warming by providing eco-friendly cultured meat that people can consume with confidence.”

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