Israeli cultured cell seafood startup Forsea Foods has unveiled its prototype of a cell-cultivated freshwater eel. The company aims to save wild eel populations from near extinction by replicating the same texture and rich, savoury flavour as real eel with its organoid technology.
Forsea’s organoid approach involves cultivating fish tissue in an ideal environment for fish cells to spontaneously form their natural composition of native fat and muscle, growing into a three-dimensional tissue structure – just as nature planned.
According to the company, this approach should help overcome the challenges in the seafood industry and ease supply bottlenecks for eel meat. The propriety practice also allows efficient and cost-effective production of cultivated meat by decreasing its dependence on growth factors.
In addition, the company’s cell-cultivated eel offers an alternative free from hormones, antibiotics, or ocean pollutants.
“This milestone marks a major leap in our journey to deliver delicious cultured seafood products,” said Roee Nir, CEO and co-founder of Forsea.
“Forsea is pioneering the fusion of traditional, high-quality Asian cuisine with groundbreaking technology to create the world’s first cultured unagi – one that will provide the consumer with a genuine seafood experience without putting further strain on aquatic life.”
Together with celebrated executive chef Katsumi Kusumoto, they were able to create two popular traditional Japanese dishes – unagi kabayaki (marinated grilled eel over rice) and unagi nigiri (eel over rice) – using the cell-cultivated eel.
“Unagi is an enduring favourite in Japan,” added Kusumoto.
“Its timeless appeal, however, is impacted by a growing awareness among the Japanese population of the need to take a more sustainable approach. It’s been thrilling to join forces with emerging innovators and work together to deliver the traditional unagi indulgence with a clear eco-conscience.”
Established in 2021, Forsea aims to turn the tide on the declining seafood population by developing cell-cultivated alternatives. The company projects that its cell-cultured eel will be ready for commercial launch in 2025.
