5 Comments
User's avatar
Lala's avatar

This is a fascinating subject. I've never heard of cultivated meats/proteins. What's the difference between cultivated salmon and farmed salmon?

Expand full comment
Larissa Zimberoff's avatar

Anything "cultivated" is grown in a lab (in the beginning) using cells from a real salmon (of any type but high quality we can imagine). The cells are grown, duplicating in lab conditions to create enough cells to make a salmon filet. The cells are applied onto scaffolding -- like our bones holding up our muscle, tendons and skin -- and eventually a final product is created. Cultivated salmon does not have skin or bones, just muscle and fat cells. It's quite different from the real thing--but also in some ways the same. I wrote a book, Technically Food, and there's a chapter on this topic. Hope this helps.

Expand full comment
Lala's avatar

Thank you for explaining it!

Expand full comment
Johanna McCloy's avatar

Have you been to Bageltopia in Berkeley yet? I finally went there and tried their vegan lox, which is made from carrots and is pretty good. Mind you, I haven't eaten actual lox in many years, so my taste-memory isn't fresh. But I wonder how the taste of that lox might compare with the taste of Wild Type's salmon, especially if their salmon is less than 12.8% salmon cells . . . ? Naturally, lox isn't meant to replace fillets of salmon.

Also, re. butter from Savor. I guess the tech is intended to formulate butter as an ingredient, more so than as straight butter to serve on something. I think Miyoko's plant-based butter does a really great job. I recommend it to everyone.

Expand full comment
Larissa Zimberoff's avatar

Agree. Miyoko's butter is great! And I've had the carrot lox too. It's also delicious but definitely more of a carrot crudo versus a salmon experience. Both are good! And carrots you don't really have to worry about where they came from--sea or science. LOL.

Expand full comment