Aleph Farms, Technion Debut ‘World’s First’ Cultivated Ribeye Steak

By NoCamels Team February 10, 2021 2 minutes

Aleph Farms' cultivated ribeye steak is a thicker cut than the company's first product. Courtesy

Israeli cultivated meat startup Aleph Farms and its research partner at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, have announced the debut of the world’s first slaughter-free ribeye steak.

The steak is made using bioprinting technology and natural building blocks of meat — real cow cells — without genetic engineering and immortalization.

The proprietary technology used to grow the rib-eye steak was developed in just two years after the company unveiled the world’s first cultivated thin-cut steak in 2018. This steak did not utilize 3D printing, the company said in the announcement.

The company said it plans to continue expanding its cultivated meat portfolio of quality meat products.

“This breakthrough reflects an artistic expression of the scientific expertise of our team,” said Dr. Didier Toubia, co-founder and CEO of Aleph Farms.”I am blessed to work with some of the greatest people in this industry. We recognize some consumers will crave thicker and fattier cuts of meat.”

“This accomplishment represents our commitment to meeting our consumer’s unique preferences and taste buds, and we will continue to progressively diversify our offerings,” Toubia added, “Additional meat designs will drive a larger impact in the mid and long term. This milestone for me marks a major leap in fulfilling our vision of leading a global food system transition toward a more sustainable, equitable and secure world.”

The cultivated ribeye steak is a thicker cut than the company’s first product. It incorporates muscle and fat similar to its slaughtered counterpart and boasts the same organoleptic attributes of a tender, juicy ribeye steak one could get from the butcher.

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“With the realization of this milestone, we have broken the barriers to introducing new levels of variety into the cultivated meat cuts we can now produce. As we look into the future of 3D bioprinting, the opportunities are endless,” says Technion Professor Shulamit Levenberg, Aleph’s co-founder, chief scientific advisor, and a major brainpower behind the company’s IP.

Aleph Farms has ambitious plans to diversify its offerings and leverage a highly scalable technology to create culinary experiences that can be adapted for the different food cultures around the world.

The Israeli clean meat startup announced last month that it had signed an agreement with Japanese multinational Mitsubishi Corporation’s Food Industry Group to bring cultivated meat to Japan.

It also announced an ambitious plan to take its lab-grown meat production to outer space.