The European eel is in a critical situation. Although it was previously abundant in Europe and North Africa, institutions such as the United Nations Organization (FAO) have long warned that it is at greater risk of disappearing than more protected animals such as the giant panda, the lynx Iberian or mountain gorilla.
That is why it is good news that a laboratory has managed to produce cultured eel meat for the first time. Researchers, who belong to the Israeli company Forsea Foods, have found a way to reproduce a freshwater species, which could help reduce overfishing and make this highly prized fish disappear.
The company aims to start selling its novel product in two years, and hopes it will end up fetching the same price as wild-caught eel. From Forsea Foods, they explain that the decline in population around the world, both due to overfishing and pollution, has also led to the illegal trafficking of eel, which is sold for stratospheric prices.
“It is an expensive fish and there is no one to supply it. It has very peculiar characteristics: it is tender, but fatty, and it has a unique umami flavor that we are trying very hard to achieve,” explained Roee Nir, the company’s executive chef. , to The Guardian. The idea is to subject the current prototype to more tests so that it becomes even more assimilated to the eel.
In line with the sustainability objectives that are promoted in multiple countries around the world, this company has set out to reproduce the meat of wild species in danger of extinction that are becoming significantly more expensive, and the eel meets these characteristics.
Its life cycle, which involves long migrations from rivers to the ocean at different stages of its life, is complex, making it impossible to cultivate on farms.
To produce the meat of this fish in a laboratory, they have used organoids, tissues originally developed for use in medical research. The organoids are created with embryonic stem cells extracted from fertilized eel eggs. As these cells grow, they become structured like real meat.
It is a technique that, according to the promoters of the project, is very suitable for fish and shellfish, whose meat is quite uniform. It is the only company that produces cultured meat using this technology and they have raised $5.2 million to continue researching it.
“As the world’s population increases, farmed meat and fish are expected to transform the food industry,” they explain on their website. “As lovers of the sea, we are proud to create sustainable alternatives to fishing and thus protect our oceans’ rich ecosystems and beauty.”
