Is MeaTech 3D’s cultured steak the largest ever produced?

Israeli cultured meat company MeaTech 3D has announced the successful printing of a 3.67 ounce / 104 gram cultivated steak comprised of real, living muscle and fat tissues, without using any soy or pea protein. The company believes that it is the largest cultured steak produced to date.

MeaTech’s achievement is an important milestone on the company’s journey to scaled production of cultivated bio-printed steaks. It’s a destination that would help to reduce the amount of methane released into the atmosphere by traditional livestock farming.

How the cultured steak was produced:

• Cells were produced using an advanced and proprietary process that begins by isolating bovine stem cells from tissue samples and multiplying them.
• Upon reaching sufficient cellular mass, stem cells were formulated into bio-inks compatible with MeaTech’s proprietary 3D bio-printer.
• The bio-inks were printed from a digital design file of a steak structure.
• The printed product was placed in an incubator to mature, where the printed stem cells were differentiated into fat and muscle cells that develop into fat and muscle tissue, respectively, to form the MeaTech steak.

“Today’s breakthrough is the culmination of over one year’s efforts in our cellular biology and high-throughput tissue engineering processes, as well as our precision bioprinting technology.�? said MeaTech’s CEO and CTO, Sharon Fima. “By bioprinting a 3.67 oz steak comprised of living tissue, we believe we have both validated our core technologies and placed ourselves at the forefront of the race to develop high-end, real cell-based cultivated premium meat products.�?

Cell-based NOT plant-based meat

MeaTech’s cultivated steak is comprised of real, living muscle and fat cells and does not contain any soy or pea protein typically used in plant-based alternatives. The company says its goal is to develop a true replacement for conventional steak that maximizes cell-based content rather than non-meat ingredients.

MeaTech intends to continue improving upon its bioprinting and cultivation technologies to produce cultivated meat that better mirrors the key characteristics of farm-raised, premium steak. A suite of advanced manufacturing technologies is being developed to produce cell-based alternative protein products which includes cell lines for bioprinted beef, pork, and chicken.