3D Printed Fish Tissue Successfully Created in China

Consuming fish, whether sourced through fishing or aquaculture, comes with environmental drawbacks. However, it doesn’t look like fish are leaving our diets anytime soon. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 140 million tons of fish will be consumed worldwide by 2050. To address the demand for fish as well as the environmental costs of acquiring them, many different companies and researchers have invested their time into 3D printed fish solutions. Most recently, a team in China successfully printed plant-based simulated yellow croaker meat tissues this September. 

To face this problem, the researchers sampled parts of the dorsal, abdominal, and tail of yellow croaker fish. These samples were then processed, immersed in iodine solutions, and subject to micro-CT scans that allowed them to differentiate between muscle and fat. Subsequently, they created 3D models of the micro-CT scan data and used CAD software to complete the simulation. 

Micro-CT scanning of different parts of yellow croaker fish muscle tissue

The team used a 3D printer with two nozzles, one for simulated muscle ink, and one for simulated fat ink. The muscle ink was composed of soy protein isolate-xanthan gum-starch complex, and the fat ink was made of nanostarch-carrageenan emulsion gel. For the project, they used a multi-functional extrusion-based 3D bioprinter from China-based Engineering For Life, or EFL Tech Co. The study’s lead author, Jie Li, explained how they optimized the printing process “by controlling the dual-nozzle printing process parameters, including manual calibration of the dual-nozzle offset, layer height, fill rate, printing speed, air pressure, etc.” As a result, more than 90% of the structure’s composite was accurate. 

This 3D printed fish was also remarkable because, compared with real yellow croaker meat, it demonstrated similar texture, moisture distribution and nutrient content. Therefore, their 3D printed fish had a “good simulation quality.” With further development, it might not be too long before 3D printed fish makes its way to our plates.

The research study completed in China does not note their 3D printed fish’s taste or whether it can be cooked or prepared like real fish, but this Chinese team was not the first to work on this mission. In 2023, Steakholder Foods was the first company to 3D print a whole cut of a fish filet and sells both faux fish and beef to specialized markets. However, according to the Chinese report, “simulating the composite structure of real meat tissue remains a challenge.” For more, read their published study here.

These are the dual-nozzle 3D printings of plant-based fish. S1 is the dorsal flesh, S2 is the base of the belly flesh, and S3 is the tail

Have you tried, or would you try, this 3D printed fish from China? Do you think 3D printed fish has great potential in the future? Let us know in a comment below or on our LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter pages! Don’t forget to sign up for our free weekly Newsletter here, the latest 3D printing news straight to your inbox! You can also find all our videos on our YouTube channel.

*All Photo Credits: Jie Li, Haohao Hu, Ruihao Niu, Qingqing Zhu, Siyu Yao, Jianwei Zhou, Donghong Liu, Enbo Xu. Simulated construction of plant-based fish meat with composite structure via dual-nozzle extrusion 3D printing.