The Civilized Meat Company Mitc Reported yesterday on its success in 3D printing of a civilized steak weighing 104 grams – the largest ever produced by the company. The company’s share in Nasdaq strengthened more than 4% in response.
Mitech is developing a sustainable alternative to industrial agriculture through the development of cultured meat production processes, based on advanced technologies of three-dimensional biological printing and tissue engineering, without the need for animal husbandry and slaughter. The products that Mitech focuses on are beef, chicken and pork, which are based on stem cells. The company began operations in 2019 and is headquartered in Ness Ziona, Israel, with a subsidiary in Antwerp, Belgium.
The cells used to make the steak were created in a process that began with sampling of visiting stem cells and replicated until a sufficient cellular mass was obtained, formulated into a biological ink adapted for use in the company’s biological 3D printer. The cells were printed using a digital 3D file, which defines the desired slice structure. At the end of printing, the product was placed in an incubator, to further differentiate the cells into real fat and muscle cells, which develop into living tissue. These tissues form the base from which the steak is made.
Mitech began trading on Wall Street last March, making it the first company in the field of cultured meat whose securities are listed for trading on the NASDAQ.
In October it was reported that a group led by Ashton Kutcher and Guy Ozeri, along with Effie Epstein, would partner with Mitec to promote its growth through the development and commercialization of the company’s civilized meat production technologies.
Last July, the company reported the start of research and development activities for the production of cultured pork – the most consumed meat in the world – with the US meat market alone estimated at about $ 20 billion a year.
Chief Executive Officer and Chief Technology Officer, Sharon Pima said that “the breakthrough is the product of over a year of efforts, streamlining cellular biological engineering processes and increasing cell output, along with the precision of the technological capabilities of bioprinting. “To our exclusive technological capabilities and places us at the forefront of the development of selected cultured meat products, based on real animal cells.”