Craving Shrimp? This Company Just Made A 3D-Printed Vegan Version

From plantbasednews.org

New technology is offering meat eaters cruelty-free alternatives to their favourite foods 

Food tech company Steakholder Foods has developed the world’s first vegan 3D-printed shrimp.

Having debuted a vegan eel earlier this month, Steakholder Foods has now released a second vegan seafood product. This joins its 3D-printed beef and pork. The new shrimp aims to replicate the texture and flavor of shrimp without harming any marine life.

As with the eel, the new vegan shrimps uses the company’s proprietary 3D-printing technology.

Arik Kaufman, CEO of Steakholder Foods, said in a statement: “By unveiling a second new species of plant-based, 3D-printed seafood this month, we expect to position Steakholder Foods to sell and deliver its first DropJet printer in 2024, offering partners and customers a unique opportunity to benefit from the expanding global seafood market, while making the right kind of impact on the environment.”

3D-printed shrimp could be a gamechanger for more than 25 million marine lives - Media Credit: Steakholder Foods

Saving shrimps

The shrimp market is worth almost USD $70 billion. Moreover, analysts expect it to keep growing over the coming decade.

We don’t know exactly how many shrimps are killed by humans each year. Research has suggested that the figure could be 440 billion farmed shrimps, along with 25 trillion wild shrimps. As such, more shrimps are directly killed by humans for food than any other species.

Steakholder Foods promises a solution for growing demand that takes away all the killing. Its high-volume, efficient, and sustainable production could help put an end to the shrimp market.

As well as saving lives, 3D-printed seafood has a significantly lower environmental impact. The fishing industry is directly contributing to the climate and nature crises. Experts have long stated that our oceans are in danger of becoming severely depleted if we continue to fish the way we do. This is leading to the deterioration of these vital ecosystems around the world. Healthy marine ecosystems help sequester carbon from the atmosphere and are a key carbon store.

Growing interest in vegan seafood

The launch of 3D-printed shrimp adds to Steakholder Foods’ vegan seafood options. The company is trying to increase its product range before a sales push on its 3D printers later this year.

Vegan seafood, dubbed “the next big thing” in 2021, has now become a reality around the world. Products have become more realistic in mimicking the taste and texture of fish. The 3D-printed products will compete with a more conventional vegan seafood alternatives.

HAPPIEE!, a Singapore-based brand, which launched in 2022, sells realistic alternatives to shrimp, calamari, and squid. It uses ingredients like soy, potato, and wheat protein to create its alternatives and is currently available in supermarkets across the UK. 

https://plantbasednews.org/lifestyle/food/3d-printed-shrimp-steakholder-foods/

Students develop technique to 3D vegan fish products

From fdiforum.net/mag

Fish-like products based on proteins from mushrooms and peas have been 3D printed via a new technique developed by students from an EU-led research project.

Students from the research project Training4CRM and the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) have developed a 3D technique for printing fish.

The first products are expected to be marketed to sushi restaurants by 2022.

The Legendary Vish project is still under development and the students are currently applying for funding prior to starting a company.

In April, the project was selected as one of ten innovation projects, which received € 6,000 in funding from the Austrian funding program Greenstar for start-ups with environmentally friendly or sustainable projects.

                                                   Credit: Shutterstock.com/ DD Images

The students hope to qualify for the final and thereby be in the running for winning the main prize, which is €210,000 in funding and a place in the Greenstar incubation program in Vienna.

“We are in the competition with our vegetarian fish product. However, depending on the further development and marketing, we can also develop to become a 3D technology supplier for other companies – especially companies with vegetarian products, since we have developed a technology that can provide texture,” says industrial PhD Hakan Gürbüz, who is affiliated with DTU Bioengineering and works in the Dutch company Felix Printers.

The group – made up of students Hakan Gürbüz, Robin Simsa and Theresa Rothenbücher – was established in 2017 for a three-year period as Marie Curie Early Stage Researchers (ESR) in the context of the international EU-led research project Training4CRM.

The group developed 3D printing processes for medical technology in their PhD projects. At this early stage, they were aware that the technology of small adaptations could also be used to printing plant proteins and binders in structured form.

In addition to mushroom and pea proteins, ingredients such as starch or agar-agar gelling agents and avocado or seed and nut oil fats with valuable Omega-3 fatty acids are included in the vegan fish product.

Hakan Gübüz is currently supervisor for a group of students at DTU Skylab, who are working on an improved business plan for Legendary Vish, where they, among other things, carry out surveys of senior citizens’ interest in the vegan fish products.

He believes that vegan fish products represent a sustainable alternative to conventional fish, partly because the production itself produces less CO2.

In addition, production can be based on locally sourced raw materials and can be produced without the energy consumption of fishing vessels and transport of fish with refrigerated trucks today.

https://www.fdiforum.net/mag/npd/students-develop-technique-3d-vegan-fish/