Israeli start-up Plantish develops 3D-printed plant-based salmon fillet

Foodtech start-up Plantish has released the prototype for a new 3D-printed vegan salmon fillet.

The new salmon fillet will be boneless and will have the same nutritional benefits as regular fish, containing the same level of proteins, vitamins and omega 3 and 6 fatty acids, but without any mercury, microplastics or antibiotics, which can be commonly found in real fish.

The product also aims to have an identical texture, mouthfeel and flavour to real salmon fillets. It will also have a high-quality structure, meaning it will includes the fibrous strands needed to give an identical texture to animal muscle.

The salmon’s design allows it to be prepared in any style that a traditional salmon fillet would be: oven roasted, poached, or grilled.

The company says their product has scalability, enabling restaurants and retail to bring the fish alternative to more consumers in the near future.

According to a recent statement made by the company, they chose to create a plant-based whole salmon fillet as it isn’t currently a readily available option on the market.
Plantish said: “Approximately 80% of fish is consumed whole-cut, in the form of whole fish or fillets. However, the alternative seafood sector primarily consists of minced fish options, due to technical complexities of whole cut production.”

The product will be available for consumers to try in pop-up spaces by the end of 2022 and is expected to be launched onto the market by 2024.

Plantish was founded by several serial entrepreneurs, bioengineer and chemistry PhD students and food technologists last summer and has already received a $2 million pre-seed investment from TechAviv Founder Partners.

Co-founder and CEO of Plantish Ofek Ron said: “Our vision is to be the world’s leading seafood brand, all without hurting a single fish.”

As well as Ron, other members of the Plantish team include Dr. Hila Elimelech, Dr. Ariel Szklanny,Dr. Ron Sicsic, and Eya Briller, previously the Director of Product Management at Impossible Foods.