Sustainable seafood: Israeli start-up formulates 3D cultivated tuna to mimic “buttery” textures

22 May 2024 --- Alt-protein pioneer Wanda Fish has formulated a cell-based alternative to the world’s most expensive fish — the Bluefin tuna, which can cost up to US$100 per kg of serving in restaurants. The company’s cultivated Bluefin Tuna Toro Sashimi mimics the “buttery” taste and texture of the wild-caught fish and has “comparable” protein and omega-3 fatty acid levels.

This comes amid advancements in fish-free substitutes as overfishing concerns and stress on capture fisheries proliferate.

Wanda Fish’s seafood substitute is based on a 3D filet and combines the cellular mass of muscle and fat created from conventional Bluefin tuna cells, developed together with a “plant-based matrix.” 

“A key focus in the creation of our product was achieving the same level of fat marbling as real Bluefin toro sashimi to create the same look and mouthfeel,” says Daphna Heffetz, co-founder and CEO of Wanda Fish. 

Speaking to Food Ingredients First, she explains: “Similarly to the alternative meat category, taste and texture are super important, and one may say even more challenging in seafood than with meat.”

The novel seafood "captures the essence" of raw fish filet without preservatives (Image credit: Noam Preisman).“As such, a lot of emphasis is placed on providing better ingredients that can support these two elements without jeopardizing the nutritional benefits of the product — anything from algae, which has become very popular, to alternative fats, including cultivated fish fat, for which we developed a unique technology for accumulating of intracellular fat, as fat is known to contribute significantly to the mouthfeel, and there is no good solution to alternative fats yet.”

First of its kind
Heffetz points out that there are “no alternatives available in the market today for Bluefin tuna.”

“There are some plant-based alternatives for tuna, but nothing that comes close to the buttery, fatty taste of the toro Bluefin tuna,” she continues. 

The company achieved the “buttery” texture of the filet through a combination of innovative technologies. 

“One key component is our cultivated fish fat, which is produced using our patent-pending technology. This technology allows fat accumulation, closely mimicking the natural formation of fish fat tissue. Additionally, we use a plant-based matrix that enhances our product’s sensory qualities. This matrix enables us to form a 3D shape of a whole cut filet and create the unique fat marbling pattern characteristic of Bluefin toro,” Heffetz explains. 

“Together, these elements help us achieve the desired buttery texture, making the final product more authentic and appealing to consumers,” she says.

Scalability
Wanda’s manufacturing process contains two stages: upstream — the biology side, cell-biomass growth and differentiation, and downstream — which formulates the cell biomass with our plant-based matrix to create the filet. 

We talked to Yaron Sfadyah, VP of Business Development and Marketing at Wanda Fish to discuss the challenges in achieving the “buttery” texture of traditional bluefin tuna.For the upstream stage, Heffetz says, “We are testing new innovative manufacturing lines, which have the potential to become very efficient and at lower cost. The downstream technology we developed to create the whole-cut is based on existing food manufacturing methodologies, which are scalable and cost-effective; thus, the integration process is simpler than one may expect.”

Wanda Fish plans to develop additional cultivated fish products toward completing the development of the Bluefin tuna. “We have identified a few fish species options, but we will need to re-evaluate it. At this point, we are solely focused on Bluefin tuna.”

Wanda Fish aims to bring “a whole-cut Bluefin tuna toro filet to market without harming the ocean” or impacting the wild fish population. 

“The product is sustainable and free of microplastics, mercury and other chemical toxins, all-too-commonly found in wild catch.”

Replicating the “underbelly” tenderness
The raw toro specialty comprises the “underbelly” of the marine species with the highest fat content. This makes the part the “most tender and desired meat of the fish.”

Wanda Fish leverages its patent-pending technology to induce native fat formation in Bluefin tuna cells.

“Using multiple Bluefin tuna cells to create both muscle and fat and our plant-based 3D design, we capture the essence of a raw fish filet without preservatives, artificial additives or genetically modified organisms (GMOs),” underscores Malkiel Cohen, VP of R&D for Wanda Fish.

The fat gives the cultivated fish whole cut a “velvety texture” and a unique, rich flavor and essential nutrients, including omega-3s, he reveals.

“Prized marine delicacy”
Bluefish tuna is not easy to catch as they are one of the ocean’s fastest and long-distance swimmers, flags the company.

The species is difficult to raise in captivity and is a prized marine delicacy. 

Current overfishing levels run the risk of giving stocks no chance to recover.Heffetz outlines that Bluefin tuna can “hardly be raised in aquaculture as most other fish species. “Even if aquaculture becomes possible in the future, raising this huge animal with special needs will be very expensive — this is why cultivated Bluefin tuna makes a solid business case. We don’t see a price parity risk.” 

Heffetz observes that most alternative protein companies “contend” with high manufacturing costs, coupled with the low price of animal-based products. “Our scalable platform for producing this premium product raises its potential to reach price parity with traditionally raised Bluefins, speed its journey to the marketplace and maximize profit margins,” she adds. 

Targeting foodservice
The start-up will first introduce its tuna in the high-end foodservice sector, focusing on Japanese cuisine, which is dominated by sushi and sashimi.

“Our focus on Bluefin tuna as our first product was driven by market needs rather than technology-driven,” asserts Heffetz.

According to the company, the manufacturing process employs a rapid, low-cost and readily scalable production method aimed at “spearheading a more sustainable future for ocean seafood.”

Last year, Wanda Fish secured US$7 million in seed funding to accelerate the cultivation of its whole-cut filet of Bluefin tuna, following a collaboration with researchers to develop the seafood substitute.

By Insha Naureen