Meat the future: Spanish startup creates blue 3D-printed steak

Kaycee Enerva

Kaycee Enerva

Novameat

Spanish food tech startup Novameat has developed a blue 3D-printed steak in a bid to push the limits of 3D food printing. The company is using Spirulina, a blue-coloured algae known for its high protein content and antioxidants.

According to the company, it is the first-ever alt-meat that combines “all five kingdoms of living beings” – a novel hybrid recipe made from animal cells, plant-based derivatives, fungi, algae, and Spirulina.  

More than half of consumers in the US (62 per cent) are willing to adopt a flexitarian lifestyle, including eating alt-meat, and fewer traditional meat products, a trend that is fueling innovation in the plant-based sector. Alternatives such as burgers, meatballs, sausages, nuggets, and bacon strips have dominated the hybrid meat market, which is predicted to be worth US$162 billion by 2030.

“We chose the colour with the purpose to create a futuristic-looking prototype,” said Guiseppe Scionti, CEO, Novameat. “We wanted to show that there are no limits. With our technology, we can create whole cuts and hybrid alternative meat products with a variety of ingredients.”

Since its inception in 2018, the company has continued developing its bioengineering, and 3D-printing capabilities to offer various plant-based food products, including its Steak 2.0 and Pork 2.0 set to launch in public this year.

“Our technology is scalable at an industrial level. We have recently proven to be able to produce one ton per hour of either plant-based or whole hybrid cuts of meat with industrial food equipment,” said Scionti.

He believes that the blue hybrid meat can be produced on a wider scale. However, the company will primarily focus on expanding its portfolio of more “traditional” plant-based meat alternatives:

Other companies venturing into 3D meat printing include Israeli food-tech startup Savoreat, using robots to 3D print burgers.

Kaycee Enerva

Kaycee Enerva

A digital content manager based in the Philippines, Kaycee Enerva has written for multiple publications over several years. A graduate of Computer Science, she exchanged a career in IT to pursue her passion for writing. She's slowly practicing sustainability through period cups, and eating more plant-based food.

2 comments

Comment

Subscribe – it's free