News

Fish from fish cells en route to a QSR near you

Yellowtail fish grown from fish cells, in beer-batter coating. Photo from BlueNalu.

December 17, 2019

Soon, QSRs that serve fried fish sandwiches, fish tacos or even sushi may get their fish fresh from the lab rather than the sea thanks to the recent breakthroughs by fish cell food company, BlueNalu, in growing identical fish muscle from fish cells, without ever dipping a line in oceans or lakes.

The company this week demonstrated one of its first commercial products, called yellowtail amberjack, prepared with various cooking techniques for investors and global partners, with expectations of introducing cell-based seafood in a test market within the next two years, a news release said.

BlueNalu prepared its whole-muscle, cell-based yellowtail product in an assortment of culinary manifestations, from beer batter-fried fish for tacos and yellowtail pieces for poke bowls, to a fermented kimchi dish and sushi.

"With our recent product demonstration, BlueNalu has accomplished a major milestone," BlueNalu President and CEO Lou Cooperhouse said in the release. "Our team has successfully produced whole-muscle portions of yellowtail fish fillet, derived directly from fish cells, in which our product performs the same way as a conventional fish fillet in all cooking applications.

"Our medallions of yellowtail can be cooked via direct heat, steamed or even fried in oil; can be marinated in an acidified solution for applications like poke, ceviche, and kimchi, or can be prepared in the raw state. This is an enormous accomplishment, and we don't believe that any other company worldwide has been able to demonstrate this level of product performance in a whole-muscle seafood product thus far."

"As a chef, I'm extremely excited about cooking with a whole muscle, cell-based seafood product, as this represents sustainability in a whole new way," BlueNalu Corporate Chef Gerard Viverito said in the release. "I feel great about cooking with seafood that I know supports ocean health and species biodiversity. In addition, I don't have to worry about bones, fish scales, filleting or having to throw away any unused fish parts."

Cooperhouse said the company science and tech team have made great progress in bringing the products to reality, with plans to begin testing in restaurant markets in the next 18-24 months. Aside from yellowtail, BlueNalu has previously demonstrated success with a number of other finfish species, including mahi mahi and red snapper.

"This was an extraordinary technical feat," BlueNalu CTO Chris Dammann, said in the release. "When we started this company, there was very little available science on the long-term propagation of fish muscle cells and no reliable culture protocol.

"To create a whole-muscle product from fish cells that are grown without genetic modification required considerable innovation. Scientifically, the achievement of going from blank canvas to food product so quickly cannot be understated. We are now ready to focus on our next phase of growth to increase production volume."

Seafood demand is at a record-high, the company said, while wild-caught and even some farmed fish supplies are in a precarious state. By complementing the current supplies of wild-caught and farm-raised seafood, BlueNalu's cellular aquaculture process is expected to lower pressure on fisheries, benefit human health, reduce animal suffering, encourage responsible food consumption and promote food security.

BlueNalu's goal is to focus on species that are primarily imported or difficult to farm-raise, and work with partners in the seafood industry to bring its product to market.

Photo: Yellowtail kimchi (BlueNalue)