Evolving in Vitro – Yuval Yancovitch
“I think we can only realize the full potential of new food technologies if consumers can let go of the familiar and become more open to alternative, experimental products. This will also have major benefits in terms of sustainability, climate change, health and animal suffering. Until then, strategies are needed to increase consumer acceptance of alternative proteins, for example by continuing to link with well-known products such as spareribs and fish fillet.”
The Evolving In Vitro project revolves around the smart use of growth structures for the production of cultured meat. Where scientists only use the so-called scaffolds to support the growth process of the cells, Yuval wants to use them to make recognizable animal products. She has developed four archetypes that have been consumed along the path of human culinary evolution: shrimp, bone marrow, ribs and fish. Each protein is grown on a porous scaffold fabricated using 3D bioprinting technology, providing a different dining experience. The project aims to facilitate the social transition from slaughtered animal meat to widely accepted cultured meat and to embrace new technologies, rather than feeling threatened by them.
