3D-Printed Vegan Salmon Fillet will be in US Grocery Stores Next Year
To help perfect the fibrous texture of animal-based seafood, Revo Foods developed the plant-based salmon fillet using 3D food printing technology.
Credit: Revo Foods
Austria-based, vegan food technology company Revo Foods has announced it will launch 3D-printed salmon in stores in 2023. The company hopes that the “ultra-realistic” whole-cut plant-based offering will address the current concerns of overfishing, as well as the environmental destruction caused by salmon farming.
Revo Foods say they spent countless hours on research and development to create what they call “the future of seafood”. Although plant-based seafood alternatives exist on the market already, perfecting the fibrous texture of seafood has proven difficult, leading scientists and chefs to explore technological solutions.
“It’s all about structure and creating the perfect bite,” said Robin Simsa, CEO of Revo Foods.
This vegan salmon fillet, named the “generation 2.0”, was developed using 3D food printing technology to push the boat out even further when it comes to mimicking the texture, look, and taste of its animal-based counterpart. Featuring pea proteins and algae extracts, it is rich in proteins and omega-3 fatty acids and can be fried, cooked, and steamed. The startup has already filed two patents for new technologies to produce such whole-cut vegan fish products.
Credit: Revo Foods
Revo Foods debuted their plant-based salmon fillet, at a public tasting event at Rooftop Bar, Zoku, in Vienna. Prepared by Michelin star chef, Siegfried Kröpfl, the fried fillet was served with cherry tomatoes, potatoes, asparagus, and a hollandaise sauce to ten guests. “The structure is almost “too perfect”, are you sure this is vegan?” commented one of the attendees. The menu also included appetizers with Revo’s vegan smoked salmon slices and its new fish spreads.
Credit: Revo Foods
Founded in 2020, Revo Foods started developing its plant-based seafood products to help tackle some of the pressing threats facing the oceans, while providing nutritious options for consumers. The company’s first-generation fish alternatives were made using mainly tofu. Its flagship product, “Salmon With Attitude,” was also developed using 3D food printing technology. Last year, Revo Foods revealed this product at a tasting event at Budapest Bagels in Vienna. It is currently available in more than 16 European countries. The process produces up to 86 percent fewer emissions than conventional salmon and uses 95 percent less freshwater, according to the company.
Credit: Revo Foods
3D Printing - The Future of Food?
Along with using cells to grow food in a lab setting - known as cultivated meat - 3D printing is one of the leading solutions to prevent the ongoing plundering of the world’s oceans to provide fish for human consumption.
“Also called ‘additive manufacturing,’ 3D printing is the process of making three-dimensional objects from a digital file,” explains Revo Foods on its website. “As the name suggests, the creation of a 3D-printed object is achieved using additive processes. That means that the object is created by laying down layers of material on top of each other.”
Huge fishing vessels that kill swathes of wildlife as part of ‘unintentional’ bycatch, and ocean-polluting offshore fish farms, could be a thing of the past with the rise of technological solutions to create meat and fish. Since 3D-printed food is crafted in a lab rather than via fish on an offshore farm, it’s healthier than farmed fish because it contains no antibiotics, microplastics, or heavy metals.
Many other companies are exploring 3D-printed food as a solution to the damage and suffering caused by animal agriculture, with the industry projected to be worth $1 billion globally by 2025.
Credit: Redefine Meat
Israeli food-tech company, Redefine Meat, currently offers 3D printed plant-based meat whole cuts including burgers, kababs, and sausages at restaurants in Europe. Recently, Selfridges become the world’s first department store to feature Redefine’s plant-based 3D-printed meat. The upmarket London store is serving the startup’s ‘New-Meat’ at two of its restaurants: Harry Gordon’s Bar & Kitchen and The Brass Rail. According to Redefine Meat, the production of New-Meat is twenty times more efficient than a beef hamburger. It uses 98 percent less land, 96 percent less water, and emits just 1/9 of the greenhouse gas emissions.
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