GECO - Sustainability virtual italian fair
When we talk about Ecofood - one of the topics addressed by GECO EXPO - we often discuss meat substitutes, since processed meat products have the highest environmental impact among all kinds of foods. But even fish, commonly thought to be healthier for humans, is rapidly becoming controversial. Not only among those who raise ethical questions about omnivorous diets, but also because fishing on an international scale is becoming increasingly unsustainable. So far, however, no convincing substitutes for real fish have appeared on the market. Some companies produce the vegan equivalent of fish fingers, but the texture of a slice of salmon or tuna has never been successfully reproduced - nor has their characteristic flavour. Now, an Austrian company has decided to pioneer this hitherto unexplored market niche by producing an artificial fish substitute. The real novelty, compared to the few previous attempts, is that their 3D-printed salmon, apparently, actually tastes like salmon.
This is the first time that an artificial fish substitute has been printed on a 3D printer: this is exactly what is happening at the Revo Foods production site in Vienna. Fibre by fibre, the characteristic orange-coloured slices, veined with white connective tissue, that we all associate with the most popular dish on the typical sushi menu are produced. This is relatively new research for the Austrian start-up, but an international breakthrough seems already within reach. Founder Robin Simsa has a degree in nutrition and biotechnology and has always been interested in vegan food: his model is the American company Beyond Meat, a market leader in meat substitutes. Creating realistic salmon, however, is much more complicated than making a decent veggie burger. That's why Simsa decided to create fibres with a 3D printer, to reproduce the unmistakable texture of real salmon.
. Conquering a market where the demand exceeds the supply is a matter of speed, which is why Revo Foods is maintaining the strictest secrecy not only on its recipe but also on the technology it has patented to print the "connective tissue" of the salmon to make it ultra-thin, well under a millimetre. This is the toughest challenge faced by the three companies in the world (counting Simsa) currently working on creating an artificial fish substitute that closely resembles the real thing. After printing, the “fish" slices, which look very realistic, are kept in the fridge for two days to allow the flavour to develop. The result is a smoked salmon with a strong flavour, very “seafood-like", but without all the drawbacks of real fish, such as microplastics and heavy metals that animals ingest in contaminated waters and that regularly end up on our tables and in our bodies.
. To open up a market as soon as large-scale production is ready, Revo Foods organised dedicated tastings for restaurateurs across Europe, with very positive results. Chefs all over Europe are fascinated by this product and ready to order large quantities of non-salmon. For their restaurants. Of course, there is still some resistance from those who don't like the idea of vegan substitutes for food proteins, but there is no doubt that ideological overtones aside, the idea of being able to serve an artificial fish substitute that is healthy and sustainable, without compromising on taste, will appeal to many restaurateurs.
Only a year old, Revo Foods is already one of Europe's most promising innovators in terms of food technology. While we wait to try our first bite of vegan salmon sushi, we'll be watching the evolution of this young Austrian startup with interest, confident that it will conquer an increasingly interesting market for investors.
Published on 08-12-2021
