ISRAEL | Cell-cultivated seafood innovator Forsea struck a significant breakthrough in making freshwater eel farming a viable commercial reality.
Forsea’s organoid technology reached a record-breaking cell density of more than 300 million cells/ml with minimal and precise cultured media ingredients. This was the highest cell density recorded in the field, moving Forsea to the forefront of cultured seafood production efficiency.
The landmark technology has allowed for a scalable and highly cost-effective supply of the hugely popular traditional Japanese delicacy, eel (unagi), whose availability has been significantly hampered by overfishing and the destruction of aquatic ecosystems.
The startup has been focused on manufacturing cultured freshwater eel due to its immense market potential, particularly in Japan. As the world’s largest eel consumer, Japan recorded 140,000 tons in 2023—50 percent of global sales. The traditional Japanese dish unagi (eel) has been considered a premium delicacy, prized for its rich flavour, tender texture, and rarity.
Freshwater eels are also endangered and cannot be commercially bred in captivity. Demand for eels has surpassed the industry’s current supply capabilities, translating to skyrocketing prices.
Setting a new standard for “blue ocean” initiatives, Forsea created a new approach to cell-cultivating fish tissues outside their native water habitats via organoid technology. Its patent-protected platform has created the ideal environment for animal cells to spontaneously assemble into three-dimensional tissue structures with their natural composition of fat, muscle and connective tissue.
This method echoed the natural growth process of these tissues in a living animal, giving it a closer-to-nature edge. It also bypassed the scaffolding stage and was dramatically less dependent on expensive growth factors. This has made the process highly affordable and positioned its cell-grown version to price parity (or potentially lower) with traditional aqua-farmed eel, a key challenge the cell-based industry was desperate to overcome.
“The breakthrough to this level of cell density highlights the strength of our organoid technology. It’s a validation of our approach to high-efficiency seafood cultivation to meet economic and sustainability goals at scale,” said Moria Shimoni, CTO of Forsea.
After completing its proof-of-concept continuous harvesting process, Forsea reported it was ready to take production of its cultured fish products to the next phase of commercial scale-up.
“Forsea’s organoid technology requires less capital expenditure than other technologies. Achieving this level of cell density with minimal resources will translate to substantial reductions in the unit of economics and will bring cultured seafood production to a cost below the traditional market price,” said Roee Nir, Founder and CEO of Forsea.
“This is a major milestone for Forsea and validates our vision of making sustainable, high-quality seafood affordable and widely accessible. It also sets a powerful precedent for scaling other cultured seafood products and establishing sustainable alternative supply chains for ecologically sensitive species.”
Forsea’s cell-cultured eel is expected to ease the strain on the world’s eel populations and reduce the environmental impact of traditional eel farming. This encompasses reducing global warming potential, water consumption, and land use and alleviating pressure on marine ecosystems by focusing on endangered species.
"Our recent industry survey shows cultivated meat production is not a one-size-fits-all approach. It's encouraging to see positive data from companies showing how different methods can address challenges in cost and scale,” said Elliot Swartz, Principal Scientist of Cultivated Meat, GFI.
“I'm especially pleased to see a GFI research grantee, Dr. Iftach Nachman, help a startup pioneer new ways of cultivating meat. This is a great example of how foundational open-access science enables and makes follow-on work by the private sector possible."
Earlier this year, Forsea held a successful tasting event at the reputable ‘a’ restaurant in Tel Aviv, where it served the world’s first cultivated unagi kabayaki—grilled fresh eel on a bed of aromatic rice—receiving rave reviews. The company has been preparing for the commercial launch of its unagi product in 2026.
