Cultured meat that looks and handles like real meat

Novel technology uses 3D printing to fuse muscle cells into significant muscle fibers

MeaTech 3D Ltd., a relatively new international food technology company specializing in cultured meat, demonstrated a significant improvement in its differentiation process from stem cells to muscle fibers. The company has succeeded in accelerating the formation of real living muscle fibers and enhancing their quality to mirror key characteristics of farm-raised meat.

These results show the process in which bovine stem cells were isolated, proliferated in the lab and differentiated into matured muscle cells with improved muscle fiber density, thickness and length. Based on these improvements, MeaTech has filed a provisional patent application with the USPTO.

“Today’s achievement is another important step towards our goal of developing a true replacement for conventional meat,” says Arik Kaufman, CEO of MeaTech. “We are committed to advancing our cellular technology to attain a cultivated-meat-eating experience that replicates that of farm-raised meat. This achievement follows our recent announcement that we successfully 3D printed an almost four-oz steak comprised of actual living muscle and fat tissue.”

MeatTech’s process consists of four key steps:

Creating bio-inks: Bio-inks formulated from the company’s cell lines and unique scaffolding materials are loaded into a specialized 3D bioprinter.
3D bioprinting: Bio-inks are accurately printed to assemble cells as they would be found in a conventional cut of muscle.
Incubation: Printed product is incubated to mature and form tissue.
Yield—structured meat: Produced in fraction of time required to achieve same cut via conventional methods.

“MeaTech’s wonderful results, led by our technology team, place the company at the forefront of the cultured meat revolution,” says Yaron Kaiser, chairman of the board, MeaTech. “The professionalism and capabilities of a small, elite, and goal-oriented technological team are enabling MeaTech to achieve significant and groundbreaking achievements efficiently and quickly, giving the company a clear competitive advantage in an industry that is on a secure path to changing our lives and the way we consume meat.”

About MeaTech 3D

MeaTech initiated activities in 2019 and maintains facilities in Ness Ziona, Israel and Antwerp, Belgium. The company believes cultivated meat technologies hold significant potential to improve meat production, simplify the meat supply chain, and offer consumers a range of new product offerings.

By adopting a modular factory design, the company expects to offer a sustainable solution for a variety of species, including beef, chicken, and pork, both as raw materials and whole cuts; and also provide the production equipment.