Cultivated freshwater eel tech opens new opportunities in Japanese market
By reaching a record-breaking cell density of more than 300m cells/ml and with minimal use of cultured media ingredients, freshwater eels can be farmed more sustainably, claims the firm behind it, Forsea.
It is the highest cell density recorded in the filed, according to Forsea, which focuses on cost-effective seafood production.
The development would allow for a scalable and cost-effective supply of freshwater eel, specifically for the Japanese market where it is a delicacy, though impacted by overfishing and causing aquatic ecosystem destruction.
Significant commercial eel opportunity in Japan
“The breakthrough to this level of cell density highlights the strength of our organoid technology,” says Forsea CTO Moria Shimoni.
“It’s a validation of out approach to high-efficiency cultivation of seafood to meet both economic and sustainability goals at scale.”
The breakthrough opens up significant commercial opportunity within Japan, which is the world’s largest consumer of freshwater eel – 50% of global sales, equating to 140,000t in 2023.
Demand from the market surpasses the industry’s supply capabilities, though Forsea’s tech allows for cultivating fish tissues outside of a specie’s native habitat.
How the cultivated eel tech works
The method echoes the tissue’s natural growth process in a living animal to replicate – as closely as possible – the real thing, claims the company. It also “bypasses the scaffolding stage” and is less dependent on growth factors.
“Forsea’s organoid technology requires less capital expenditure than other technologies,” says Foresea CEO and founder Roee Nir.
“Achieving this level of cell density with minimal resources will translate to substantial reductions in the unit of economics and will bring cultured seafood production to a cost that is actually below the traditional market price.”
If upscaled, it is expected the new tech could help to “ease the strain” on the world’s eel populations, in turn reducing the environmental impact of traditional eel farming.
