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3D-printed food is moving into mass production — starting with printed salmon. This innovative dish is made using mycoprotein derived from filamentous fungi. The final product is a vegan fish fillet packed with multivitamins, including omega-3, all nine essential amino acids, and vitamins A, B2, B3, B6, B12, and D2. It will be the first in a series of vegan seafood products from Revo Food, created using 3D printing technology.
Printed Salmon: Just as Real and Just as Nutritious
The Vienna-based startup uses proprietary extrusion technology that lets the 3D printer integrate fats into a fibrous protein matrix. Revo Food says this creates a continuous production process capable of mass-producing 3D-printed food.
Mycoprotein was chosen for the 3D-printed salmon because it has a meat-like texture and requires minimal processing. Revo Food is collaborating with the Swedish startup Mycorena to create a protein base called Promyc, specifically designed for 3D printing.
The vegan fish fillet has already hit select BILLA supermarkets, part of the REWE Group, one of Europe’s largest retail chains. Customers across Europe eager to try the vegan fish fillet can order it from the Revo Food online store starting October 1, 2023.
Vegan Fish Fillet as an Alternative to Seafood
Designboom reports that Revo Food uses food syringes to hold the printing material for the 3D-printed salmon. The ingredients are layered through a nozzle and injected to form the fibrous matrix of the vegan fillet. The end result resembles salmon and is enriched with the nutrients of mycoprotein.
Revo Food says the method isn’t fundamentally different from other food production techniques that can already make 3D forms. Its main advantage is precise control, which enables products that would otherwise be impossible to produce, such as plant-based fish fillets.
3D-Printed Fish to Preserve Biodiversity
Revo Food has turned to 3D printing as up to 60% of the world’s fish stocks are overfished. The company says the fishing industry also contributes heavily to ocean plastic pollution and that declines in marine biodiversity may be irreversible. Demand for seafood keeps rising even as coral reefs degrade and toxins and microplastics increasingly contaminate marine ecosystems.
Revo Food offers vegan seafood as an alternative to meet this demand, striving to replicate the authentic taste that appeals to the flexitarian market. Robin Simsa, the CEO, says industrial 3D food printing marks a creative food revolution — an era where food can be crafted to customer needs. He says they aren’t just making a vegan alternative; they’re helping shape the future of food.
The technology lets Revo Food create vegan alternatives with the flakiness and juicy fibers of traditional fish fillets. The startup also offers other plant-based products, like gravlax or shredded salmon made from pea protein, and smoked salmon made from seaweed.
