Reducing pressure on our oceans with cell cultivated fish

Commercial fishing operations are a massive threat to the health of our oceans. They contribute to a range of environmental challenges including overfishing, plastic pollution and bycatch. These environmental challenges, coupled with issues around seafood safety and contamination, endanger consumers everywhere.  

But what if there was a way to satisfy growing global demand for seafood without harming the planet or jeopardising climate goals? 

That’s the challenge Avant is trying to solve. From its laboratories in Hong Kong and Singapore, the startup is using patent-pending technology to produce thousands of kilograms of real fish muscle cells directly from the cells of a single fish.   

Avant’s fish cutlet. The company has launched samples of a variety of fish products including cultivated fish maw and fillets. Source credit: Avant

“Our products are not plant-based or genetically modified – they are real fish, just made without the animal,” explains co-founder and CEO Carrie Chan. “Instead, they’re made using safe and reliable biological processes, so they’re sustainable, nutritious – and super tasty!” 

Avant was one of the earliest movers in the cultivated fish meat space and is now blazing the trail for others in Asia to follow. So how does the process of growing fish in a laboratory work, exactly, and what potential does the startup have to disrupt the seafood industry? 

Until just a few years ago, becoming a cultivated fish producer was the last thing on Chan’s mind. A successful architect, she completed her MBA at INSEAD in 2008 and was working her way up the corporate ladder in Hong Kong, managing substantial CAPEX projects for major clients. Her decision to switch tracks stemmed from a growing conviction that she wanted to devote more of her time to climate action. 

“As a committed vegan and environmental activist, I just grew increasingly concerned about the connection between our food consumption choices and the carbon footprint these leave behind,” she says. “Switching to an animal-free diet is one answer, but it’s a massive job to get people to adopt that view. I thought: our planet is running out of time. Isn’t there something more I can do?”  

Avant co-founder and CEO, Carrie Chan. Source credit: Avant

In 2018, Chan came across an article on the emergence of cultivated meat production companies in the US and Europe and was instantly intrigued. “There was proof out there that this technology could work, but nobody was exploring its potential in Asia. I also learned that the global seafood market – set to reach approximately US$350 billion by 2027 – is primarily driven by Asian consumers, so applying the concept here seemed to have so much potential.” 

Inspired, Chan spent the next few months researching cutting-edge biotechnologies and the practicalities of applying these to marine proteins at scale.  

“In October 2018, I finally quit my job. I read and planned, contacting scientists and bio-entrepreneurs from all over the world to learn more,” she recalls. “Along the way, I had the good fortune to meet Hong-Kong-based scientist and biotech expert Dr Mario Chin. I am very grateful to have Dr Chin join as co-founder in this venture.”  

Carrie Chan with Dr Mario Chin.

As a first step, the fledgling company set about cultivating a prototype for fish maw, the commercial name for the dried swim bladders of large fish such as yellow croaker. Prized in Asia for its perceived medicinal value, fish maw is also a delicacy in traditional Chinese cuisine, selling for as much as US$2,000 per kg.  

“When we started out, using methods adopted from the medical field, our production costs were super high. We figured if we could create a fish product that already had a high selling price, we’d be able to reach price parity earlier. And by coming out with a cheaper version, it would be a lot easier to find customers,” says Chan.  

Avant‘s cultivated fish maw. Source credit: Avant

“We were also just feeling our way with the technology, so we needed something simple to cultivate – ideally with a single cell type. Brainstorming helped us come up with the idea of fish maw. Not only is it highly prized, it’s based on a simple cell type, so it ticked all our boxes.” 

Since then, the startup has gone on to create prototypes of other cell-based seafood products, including a fish patty derived from grouper cells.  

To create its products, Avant uses a bioreactor to nurture a ‘broth’ containing fish cells combined with glucose, minerals, vitamins, amino acids and proteins.  

“We feed the cells with the nutrients they need to start doubling naturally. We’re looking to recreate the conditions that exist organically inside a fish’s body,” says Chan. 

Once the cells have grown to the desired number, they can be harvested and processed into finished products. “So, starting with a small vial of fish cells, we can cultivate in large scale fish protein in an environmentally sustainable way.”  

Inside Avant’s lab in Singapore. To scale up production, the team puts isolated fish cells into a spinner flask where they observe how cells behave in an environment similar to a bioreactor. Source credit: Avant

Avant processes its cells in different ways. In one, a plant-based material is added to the cell slurry of cultured cells so it can be more easily formed into patties or nuggets for cooking. 

In another, more complex procedure, Avant encourages the cells to grow on edible porous materials known as scaffolds to promote the growth of tissues. This approach yields a product that more closely resembles an actual fish cut. 

“Thanks to our portfolio of patent-pending technologies, we have made the cell cultivation process cost-effective and efficient – we have significantly reduced the input material costs, for a start,” says Chan. 

The company created a serum-free medium as early as 2020, and the team is now working to further refine their processes. 

“Traditionally, cell culture calls for Fetal Bovine Serum (FBS), which is both expensive and, of course, animal derived. In 2020, we achieved a 90 per cent reduction in production process costs when we replaced our culture medium with an FBS-free recipe.” 

Perhaps the ultimate challenge is navigating an industry that is still only a few years old. In Chan’s words: “We didn’t know how long it might take global regulators to approve the production of cultivated meats. So, in a pragmatic move, we decided to develop a sideline in the skincare market.”  

In 2019, the company began developing a cultivated bioactive functional peptide that it has branded Zellulin. The peptides can be incorporated into moisturisers and serums as a sustainable alternative to animal-based skincare ingredients. 

“As it happened, Singapore then issued regulatory approval for commercial sale of cultivated meat in 2020, becoming the first country in the world to do so. We continued with both cultivated fish maw and Zellulin’s development, as the products highlight the commercial application of our cell-cultivation technology platform.”

In a bid to accelerate research and development (R&D) and bring its first products to market by 2024, the company established a Singapore R&D centre in 2021 and started planning for their pilot manufacturing plant in 2022. 

“Singapore’s 2020 decision to approve the sale of cell-cultured meats made our decision to move here a no-brainer. It’s also a world leader in food safety. Expanding here is enabling us to speed our route to market, with clear regulatory guidelines to draw on when it comes to commercialising our products,” explains Chan.  

Inside Avant’s Singapore R&D centre.

“Singapore is also an established innovation hub, which makes it so much easier for startups like ours to find the tech talent, funding and resources that we need to grow.” 

Today, the company is working to complete setting up its first pilot production line and to obtain a license from the Singapore Food Authority for license. It can then start to fulfil customer orders for its offerings and generate revenue.  

“As our commercialisation plans take shape, our dream of making a lasting, positive impact on the world is getting closer. It’s a very exciting time,” says Chan. 

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