Novameat Raises Funds To 3D-Print Meat Replacements

Novameat, a Spanish food startup that wants to bring plant-based meat alternatives to the public, has gotten an investment from New Crop Capital to bring its 3D printed plant-based steaks to market, according to a report by TechCrunch.

The company was started by Giuseppe Scionti, who works in biomedical engineering, and was built on his many years of work as a professor at the Polytechnic University of Catalonia, the University College of London, Chalmers University and Polytechnic University of Milan. 

In 2018, the startup made the first 3D printed plant-based “beefsteak” in the world. Now, it’s going to use the funding to help with the development of other plant-based proteins. 

The company said it has a brand new technology that can replicate the texture and appearance of fibrous meats like fish and chicken.

Novameat is trying to move the market forward because while plant-based ground meat is the norm, the fibrous nature of meat cuts hasn’t been as easy to replicate.

“While I was researching on regenerating animal tissues through bioprinting technologies for biomedical and veterinary applications, I discovered a way to bio-hack the structure of the native 3D matrix of a variety of plant-based proteins to achieve a meaty texture,” Scionti said.

Scionti wants to make this type of protein available to everyone. 

“We are providing the equipment, the machinery, under a licensing agreement to these companies,” Scionti said. “Plant-based meat manufacturers have access to something that creates the texture and taste of a steak.”

Investor New Crop Capital is one of the most well known companies in the meat replacement space. It has been involved in companies like Memphis Meat, Beyond Meat, Kite Hill, Geltor, Good Dot, Aleph Farms, Supermeat, Mosa Meat, New Wave and Zero Egg.

“We think the global food supply chain is broken and we are focused on fixing one of those challenges, which is animal protein,” said New Crop Capital’s Dan Altschuler Malek. “We see that there is an opportunity to shift consumer behavior to reduce their consumption of animal protein products to products that are at the price point that people will pay.”