UMAMI Taps Bioscience Firms to 3D Print Seafood in Korea

UMAMI Bioworks has partnered with biotech firm KCell Biosciences and bioreactor company WSG. The partnership with the two Korean firms includes a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that aims to bring UMAMI Bioworks’ technology to South Korea for the production of bioprinted food. WSG, which manufactures fermentors and bioreactors, will provide the equipment, while its subsidiary KCell will focus on cellular culture processes and culture media. There has been significant interest in bioprinting from food firms, distributors, chefs, and regulators, though the rest of the bioprinting and bioreactor industry has appeared more aloof. This is surprising, given that current bioprinting technologies utilize many reactor vats and employ techniques similar to those used in cellular production and regenerative medicine.

“A critical part of UMAMI’s ambition to establish a scalable plug-and-play production solution for cultivated seafood is securing partnerships with key strategic suppliers who are capable of supplying critical hardware and inputs at prices and volumes that match our customers’ requirements. With WSG and K-Cell’s history of delivering high quality bioprocess equipment and culture media, we will work closely together to optimize our production solution and to bring the first cultivated food production facility to South Korea,” said UMAMI Bioworks CEO Mihir Pershad.

“It is momentous that the packaged solutions of UMAMI’s bioprocess system, KCell’s cell-culture media production and WSG’s stainless infrastructure surpass the level of price parity for food companies licensing in the manufacturing of cell-cultivated seafood products. The bioprocess solutions that UMAMI Bioworks possesses fit perfectly as the missing puzzle piece for us that achieves a commercially viable business model,” said Victor Kang, the CEO of KCell Biosciences and the WSG Group.

Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) recently approved bioprinted food, and the local partners are expected to improve the chances of approval for the trio. UMAMI aims to become a platform that enables others to industrialize bioprinted food locally. The three companies plan to build a Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) compliant production facility in Korea to produce their 3D-printed food. UMAMI’s primary goal in South Korea is to focus on 3D-printed seafood. Eel and other seafood, such as tuna, are highly popular in the country in various forms.

Bioprinted food has yet to prove its worth in the market. While it’s a promising concept, the key questions remain: Will consumers buy it, and at what price? Will it be a passing fad, or will it become a regular part of people’s diets? 3D-printed food must also compete with alternatives like Beyond Burger, which may achieve similar goals at lower costs. Can 3D-printed food be tastier or better for consumers? Beyond the design and research challenges, the biggest hurdle is scaling the technology. It would require a vast number of reactor vats and large quantities of media to produce even the output of a single McDonald’s. These vats need media, space, water, electricity, and time. When will the costs of this process decrease? How scalable is this approach in reality? Will companies have to sell these foods at a high premium initially and hope that costs will drop over time, and will the market give them that chance?

To overcome these challenges, partnerships will be essential. Partners can localize offerings, address regulatory hurdles, and provide capital. While the bioprinting opportunity is immense, achieving approval, scaling the technology, and convincing consumers will require significant capital and patience—two qualities that rarely go hand in hand. It’s easy to imagine capital being drawn in by optimistic 3D-printed food promises, but finding patient capital willing to wait for long-term returns will be much more challenging.