In a first in India, lab-grown fish meat to be developed in Kerala

The project aims to propel India forward in the realm of cultured marine fish meat, with the goal of meeting the increasing demand for seafood while alleviating the excessive strain on wild resources.

Thiruvananthapuram: Kochi-based ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) has ventured into developing lab-grown fish meat, which is a first such initiative in the country.

The institute will focus on developing cell-based meat of high-value marine fishes such as king fish, pomfret and seer fish in the first phase, said a statement from CMFRI.

According to CMFRI, the project will help in addressing the growing demand for seafood as well as to reduce exploitation of the natural marine resources. Lab-grown fish meat is produced by isolating specific cells from the fish and growing them in the laboratory settings. The final product will be a replica of the original flavour, texture, and nutritional qualities.

CMFRI has entered into a collaborative research agreement with a start-up working in the field, Neat Meatt Biotech. The public-private partnership mode agreement was signed by CMFRI director A Gopalakrishnan and Neat Meatt Biotech co-founder and chief executive officer Sandeep Sharma.

Countries like Singapore, Israel and USA have already advanced in cultured seafood research. With the fresh initiative India will also make major strides in the field, the CMFRI director said.