Lab-grown salmon: sustainable seafood, no ocean needed

THE world has become increasingly more concerned about environmental sustainability, food security, and ethical sourcing, making lab-grown or cultivated meat a promising solution.

- GERRY CUPIDO

Among the latest innovations in this space is lab-grown salmon, a product that replicates the taste, texture, and nutritional profile of traditional salmon, without the need to harvest a single fish from the ocean.

Lab-grown salmon, also known as cultivated salmon, is real salmon meat produced from fish cells, rather than being caught or farmed.

It involves cultivating salmon cells in a controlled environment, allowing them to grow into edible muscle tissue that can be prepared and consumed just like conventional fish. Lab-grown salmon is biologically identical to the salmon you'd buy at the seafood counter.

The process of creating lab-grown salmon begins by taking a small sample of cells from a live salmon, typically through a biopsy that does not harm the fish.

These cells are then placed in a bioreactor, which is essentially a tank that simulates the conditions inside a living organism.