This article is an English translation of a Foovo article, published with permission from Foovo.
Maruha Nichiro and Singapore-based cultivated seafood company UMAMI Bioworks has announcement of signing a joint development agreement on the 9th of this month to develop and commercialize cell-cultivated tuna.
According to a press release (in English) sent to Foovo, the two companies are aiming to start test marketing of cultivated tuna as part of their preparations for full-scale commercialization.
Japan-based cell-cultivated tuna development gets underway
The two companies began collaborating in August 2023 toward the commercialization of cultivated seafood.
Under the newest agreement, the companies have set the following milestones: ①Establishment of stable cell lines, ②Expansion of production capacity, ③Obtaining approvals, and ④Test sales aimed at market launch. This marks a significant step forward from the collaboration that began in 2023.
This marks the transition of the collaborative relationship into the commercialization phase, with the target species now specified as “tuna.”
Maruha Nichiro became the first private company to successfully achieve full aquaculture of tuna in 2010.
Under this partnership, Maruha Nichiro will provide cells harvested from its fully farmed tuna to UMAMI Bioworks, which will utilize its cell culture platform to establish cell culture technology.
Maruha Nichiro has been focusing on cultivated seafood from an early stage, forming joint research partnerships with Integral Culture in 2021 and Ichimasa Kamaboko in 2022.
UMAMI Bioworks, on the other hand, is a B2B platform provider headquartered in Singapore, where cultivated meat was first approved for sale in the world. Last year, it merged with Shiok Meats and is moving forward with the establishment of production facilities in South Korea.
In addition to tuna, the company is developing a wide range of fish species, including eel, caviar, lobster, and whitefish, and held a tasting event for cultured eel and caviar in Singapore in February this year. It has also partnered with Japanese company Kanadevia (formerly Hitachi Zosen) to produce growth factors.
While global demand for tuna is rapidly increasing, issues such as overfishing, supply chain disruptions, and environmental impact are becoming more serious. The two companies aim to use cell culture technology to provide more sustainable, affordable, and ethical tuna.
In Japan, a study group on the safety of cell-based foods has begun, and a draft guideline for the industry is scheduled to be released by this summer (USDA link here). Cultivated meat is also being exhibited at the Expo venue.
Meanwhile, overseas companies such as U.S.-based BlueNalu and Israeli Wanda Fish are advancing the development of cultivated tuna. BlueNalu is the only company to be selected for the UK’s regulatory sandbox program for cultivated seafood.
There are no approved cases of cultivated seafood worldwide, and commercialization has not yet been achieved. In this context, the collaboration between Maruha Nichiro and UMAMI Bioworks represents a positive step forward for Japan, which has been lagging behind in this field.
Source:
～完全養殖クロマグロの細胞を初提供～UMAMI Bioworksと細胞性クロマグロの開発に着手
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