3D Printed Vegan Steak Coming to Market in 2021

Israel-based startup Redefine Meat will launch its first product, Alt-Steak, at high-end restaurants later this year before expanding to market distribution in 2021. The new product is made with the company’s revolutionary 3D technology that maps 70 sensorial parameters to create a cut of vegan meat that mimics the taste, texture, and juiciness of a beef steak. Redefine Meat created individual plant-based components, Alt-Muscle, Alt-Fat, and Alt-Blood, that its industrial 3D printer turns into Alt-Steak.

“The importance of using precision 3D-printing technology to achieve texture, color, and flavor—and the combinations between them—cannot be overstated,” Eshchar Ben-Shitrit, CEO and co-founder of Redefine Meat, said. “By using separate formulations for muscle, fat, and blood, we can focus on each individual aspect of creating the perfect Alt-Steak product. This is unique to our 3D-printing technology and lets us achieve unprecedented control of what happens inside the matrix of alt-meat.” 

In 2019, the company completed a $6 million seed funding round led by CPT Capital, Hanaco Ventures, PHW Group (Germany’s largest poultry company), and Israeli angel investors and used the funding to finalize the development of its revolutionary alternative-meat 3D printer. The company worked with Swiss flavor manufacturer Givudian and restaurant industry professionals to refine the formulation of Alt-Steak. 

“Since day one of the company, we have been working on creating a tasty and affordable plant-based alternative to steaks, one of the most cherished food products and the driver of the entire meat industry,” Ben-Shitrit said. “Today’s announcement marks the start of a new era in alternative meat—the Alt-Steak era—driven by production processes that will accelerate the development of a wide range of alt-meat whole muscle products and create a sustainable alternative to raising and eating animals.”