Biokraft Foods to launch India’s first 3D-printed cultivated rainbow trout fillet
The company is collaborating with a government institute on fish cell lines as it prepares to apply for regulatory approval for cultivated chicken. The structured fish product is developed using 3D bioprinting and bioink technology.
INDIA – Mumbai-based food tech startup Biokraft Foods is releasing a lab-grown rainbow trout fillet, developed in collaboration with the government-run Central Institute of Coldwater Fisheries Research (ICAR-CICFR).
The new product, which is cultivated from the cells of native trout species, is made using a proprietary 3D bioprinting process and aims to offer a sustainable alternative to traditional aquaculture.
According to the company, the fillet mimics the nutritional and structural qualities of conventional trout, and it can be produced year-round without relying on fishing, animal farming, or resource-intensive trout breeding.
The launch is part of a broader project with ICAR-CICFR, a division under India’s Ministry of Agriculture, whose research focuses heavily on Himalayan trout species.
Trout, including snow and rainbow varieties, are considered high-value fish in India, where their availability is limited and farming practices are expensive and environmentally taxing.
Some trout populations are classified as threatened or endangered, making their farming a controversial and unsustainable source of seafood.
Biokraft says its cultivated trout eliminates the risk of antibiotic residues and microplastics, issues often associated with wild catch and conventional fish farming.
The development follows the company’s debut of other cultivated seafood prototypes and precedes a planned regulatory submission for its lab-grown chicken product.
Biokraft’s founder and CEO Kamalnayan Tibrewal said the company intends to apply for approval from India’s Food Safety and Standards Authority (FSSAI) within the next two months.
The firm has already been in consultation with the FSSAI as the regulator works to draft a framework for alternative proteins and novel foods.
Alongside the product developments, Biokraft has secured early-stage investment through a pre-seed funding round, though the amount raised has not been disclosed and the deal is still being finalized.
The startup expects to bring its cultivated meat and seafood to market by 2026, pending regulatory clearance.
Consumer interest appears to be growing, with a 2024 survey showing that over 60% of Indian respondents would consider purchasing cultivated meat, while 59% see it as a viable alternative for nutritional security.
Meanwhile, other cultivated protein initiatives are underway in the country, including a joint seafood research project by the ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute and Delhi-based startup Neat Meatt.
In a separate effort, Singapore’s Umami Bioworks has entered partnerships with Indian research organizations to advance R&D and potential commercialization of cultivated seafood in the region.
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