Steakholder Foods takes key step toward 3D printed eel

In Israel, food tech firm Steakholder Foods has produced 3D-printed vegan eel, a concept it hopes will one day help address overfishing. The prototype was made of plant-based eel, but the company aspires to eventually incorporate cultivated eel to produce a hybrid offering. Eels are a delicacy in Japan but a critically endangered species due to overfishing.

“This technology is designed to enable partners to generate products on a potential industrial scale of hundreds of tons monthly, not only at lower costs compared to wild eel, but also with the flexibility to create a variety of printed products using the same production line,” said Steakholder Foods CEO Arik Kaufman.

According to Green Queen, Steakholder’s DropJet technology uses 3D printing to create layers that better mimic eel tissue.