Between cell-grown steaks and cow-free milk, professors and graduates from the Israeli Institute of Technology are cooking up a new way forward
A whole host of innovative food companies changing the way we treat animals are the products of leading Technion minds.
Aleph Farms – the first company to grow steaks directly from the cells of cows – was co-founded by Technion Professor, Shulamit Levenberg, SavorEat, a company that produces 3D-printed burger patties via a robot chef using ingredient cartridges has as its VP a Technion alumnus and Itay Dana, another Technion alumnus, works as Head of Product Innovation at SuperMeat.
A recent investment round of $105 million went to Aleph Farms, which they say will help execute large-scale global commercialization and portfolio expansion into new types of animal protein and product lines.
Cell-based meat involves growing actual meat from cell cultures taken from a live animal and SuperMeat uses the same process to apply to chicken.
Meanwhile, food-tech innovator – Imagindairy – which develops real milk in the lab without harming animals, is making huge strides in a market that wants something better than plant-based milks.
Co-founded by Technion alumnus, Dr. Eyal Afergan, it cultivates milk proteins from animal cells, meaning the nutritional value, taste, smell and texture is the same as cow’s milk but without causing any suffering to the animal. This startup has also raised $1.5 million in funding.