2023-10-01 10:32:13
“In principle, we imitate the natural process of cell growth – only under controlled conditions,” says Cornelius Lahme. He works in marketing for the start-up company Bluu Seafood. The sterile, sparkling-clean rooms of the Lübeck-based company, which is a spin-off from the Fraunhofer Institute, are more reminiscent of a hospital than a place where food is produced. “But we concentrate on what we want to eat, so we do without the fins, the eyes, the head.” Lahme says this consciously, compares laboratory fish production with the processes in a brewery, and says it’s not rocket science. He knows that the trials scare off many observers.
But even laboratory fish doesn’t work without real fish – and is therefore not vegan. Vincent Gassl from Bluu’s cell team demonstrates how fish cell reproduction works. He grabs a pair of tweezers and cuts off a tiny piece of real salmon. “One gram is enough to obtain countless cells from it,” he says. The muscle or fat cells are multiplied in a bioreactor. This contains a solution of sugar, fat, minerals, growth factors and other nutrients that feed the cells – similar to blood. The cells should grow as quickly as possible. This can be tracked precisely under the microscope.
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