Cell-cultivated seafood producer Forsea reports its organoid technology has reached a cell density of more than 300 million cells/ml, with minimal and precise use of cultured media ingredients.
The company says the technology allows for a scalable and cost-effective supply for eel (unagi), the popular Japanese delicacy whose availability has been hampered by overfishing and the destruction of aquatic ecosystems.
Forsea is focusing on manufacturing cultured freshwater eel due to the immense market potential, particularly in Japan. Freshwater eel is endangered and cannot be commercially bred in captivity. Demand for eel surpasses the industry's current supply capabilities, translating to skyrocketing prices.
Forsea created a new approach to cell cultivating fish tissues outside of their native water habitats via organoid technology. Forsea's patent-protected platform involves creating the ideal environment for animal cells to spontaneously assemble into three-dimensional tissue structures with their natural composition of fat, muscle and connective tissue.
Forsea says this method not only echoes the natural growth process of these tissues in a living animal, but it bypasses the scaffolding stage and is less dependent on expensive growth factors. This positions the cell-grown version to price parity (or potentially lower) with traditional aquafarmed eel.
"The breakthrough to this level of cell density highlights the strength of our organoid technology," says Moria Shimoni, CTO of Forsea. "It's a validation of our approach to high-efficiency cultivation of seafood to meet both economic and sustainability goals at scale.”
After completing its proof-of-concept continuous harvesting process, Forsea reports it is ready to take production of its cultured fish products to the next phase of commercial scaleup.
"Forsea's organoid technology requires less capital expenditure than other technologies," says Roee Nir, founder and CEO of Forsea. "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. This is major milestone for Forsea and validates our vision of making sustainable, high-quality seafood affordable and widely accessible. It also sets a powerful precedent for scaling other cultured seafood products and establishing sustainable alternative supply chains for ecologically sensitive species."
The company is preparing for commercial launch of its unagi product in 2026. Earlier this year, Forsea held a tasting event at the 'a' restaurant in Tel Aviv, where it served cultivated unagi kabayaki — grilled fresh eel on a bed of aromatic rice. Among the tasters where representatives from the Japanese embassy and various Japanese food companies based in Israel.
