Successfully printed 3D steak from artificial muscle cells

MeaTech 3D company announced on December 7 that it had successfully printed a 104g steak, consisting mainly of fat and artificial muscle cells.

MeaTech 3D says it's the largest man-made steak ever produced. This breakthrough marks an important milestone towards large-scale bioprinted steak production.

MeaTech 3D 3D printed steak 104g

Cells used to print steaks are manufactured using a proprietary advanced process. This process begins with bovine stem cells from a tissue specimen and allows them to multiply. When sufficient mass is reached, the stem cells are transformed into bio-ink compatible with MeaTech 3D printers. The machine digitally prints the texture of steak. The finished product is placed in an incubator to grow, where the stem cells will turn into fat and muscle tissue to create the steak.

MeaTech's goal is to develop a replacement for conventional steaks with maximum cell-based ingredients. Artificial steak is composed of fat and raw muscle cells, and does not contain any of the pea protein commonly found in plant-based alternatives.

MeaTech will continue to improve bioprinting and culturing technology to create better artificial meat that mimics the characteristics of fine steaks from farmed cows. They will focus on developing cell lines of cows, pigs and chickens. The company believes that artificial meat technology has the potential to improve meat production, simplify supply chains, and provide consumers with more diverse options.