First Ever 3D Printed Ribeye Steak with Real Cow Cells
Earlier this week, Aleph Farms, announced that they had successfully developed the world’s first slaughter-free ribeye steak, by 3D bioprinting real cow cells. This achievement was the result of a collaboration between the Israeli start-up and Technion, the Israel Institute of Technology, a globally renowned science and technology research university. While Aleph Farms were able to create a slaughter-free thin-cut steak without additive manufacturing technologies in 2018, their new proprietary technology relies on 3D bioprinting and can be used to create any type of steak. Thanks to this new technology the company have cultivated a 3D printed ribeye steak, a far thicker cut.
Didier Toubia, the co-founder and CEO of Aleph Farms commented: “This breakthrough reflects an artistic expression of the scientific expertise of our team. I am blessed to work with some of the greatest people in this industry. We recognize some consumers will crave thicker and fattier cuts of meat. This accomplishment represents our commitment to meeting our consumer’s unique preferences and taste buds, and we will continue to progressively diversify our offerings.”
The Aleph Farms Team. (Photo Credit: Aleph Farms)
The steak was fabricated using 3D bioprinting technology and real cow cells, without genetic engineering and immortalization, the natural building blocks of meat. The process begins with the 3D bioprinting of living cow cells, which are then incubated so that they can grow, differentiate and interact. The latter step is essential in achieving the texture and qualities of a real steak. Mirroring the naturally occurring process of vascularization in tissues, this allows nutrients to perfuse across the thicker tissue. This means that the 3D printed steak will resemble the structure and shape of a steak taken from livestock both before and after being cooked. The 3D printed steak also integrates similar muscle, fat, and organoleptic attributes of a butchered steak.
This is part of Aleph Farms’ mission to create a global platform for local production using culturally adaptable and scalable technology. Toubia further commented: “Additional meat designs will drive a larger impact in the mid and long term. This milestone for me marks a major leap in fulfilling our vision of leading a global food system transition toward a more sustainable, equitable and secure world.” Technion Professor Shulamit Levenberg, Aleph’s Co-Founder, Chief Scientific Advisor added that: “With the realization of this milestone, we have broken the barriers to introducing new levels of variety into the cultivated meat cuts we can now produce. As we look into the future of 3D bioprinting, the opportunities are endless”. Aleph Farms has already 3D printed meat in space, with the realisation of this rib-eye steak, 3D bioprinted using real cow cells, the company has only further evidenced the bright future it has ahead.
*Photos courtesy of Aleph Farms
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The elephant in the room! What does it taste like?
The article doesn’t mention how long it took to produce that steak. Also what did the subprimal look like before they shaped the steak. I’m curious if there is a serious yield issue?
The first printing press would have taken a day to print one newspaper copy so ‘yield ‘ concerns with bioprinting, at this stage anyhow, is a little shortsighted .