Lab-grown Fish

Context (IE): The ICAR-CMFRI in Kochi partnered with a start-up for lab-grown fish meat. It is the first initiative of its kind in the country.
Cultivated fish meat is produced by a technique called Cell culture.
The final product is expected to replicate the flavour, texture, & nutritional qualities of real fish meat.

Cell culture

It refers to the process of growing and maintaining cells outside their natural environment.
Cells are cultivated in a nutrient-rich environment, known as a culture medium. It contains essential nutrients, growth factors, and other necessary components to support cell growth and proliferation.
Cell cultures are widely used in research, drug development, vaccine production, and the study of diseases & Cultivated meat industry.

Cell line development is a process of developing highly productive, stable cell lines essential for the production and manufacturing of bio-therapeutics.
A cell line is a collection of cells originating from one cell. In comparison to freshly derived cells (called “primary” cells), in which gene expression can vary from cell to cell, each cell line comprises many cells that are genetically identical.
Immortalized cells are a population of cells from a multicellular organism due to mutation, which can escape normal cellular senescence and keep undergoing division. This kind of cells can grow in vitro for prolonged periods.

Increasing demand for seafood.
Reduce excessive pressure on wild resources. Overfishing has resulted in dramatic reductions in populations of certain species.
Lab grown fish meat will be antibiotics free and will have no contamination with microplastics or heavy metals. (Bioaccumulation, Bio magnification).
To ensure India is not left behind in this emerging industry.
- Israel, Singapore, the United States and China have made great progress in this pioneering technology. For example, Israel-based Forsea Foods successfully produced lab-grown freshwater eel meat.
- Further, companies around the world are now reported to be working on developing lab-grown meat from cells, including chicken, pork, lamb, fish, and beef.