US cellular aquaculture business to expand
THE Californian cellular aquaculture company BlueNalu has unveiled ambitious plans for major production expansion and boosting its research and development capabilities.
The company said the move will include a new 38,000 square foot manufacturing facility in San Diego where it is based – a six-fold increase on the current space. The larger facility will include a Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) pilot-scale food production plant that will be designed for the commercial production of BlueNalu’s various cell-based seafood products in its initial test markets. The new location will also feature the first BlueNalu kitchen and demonstration space, providing up-close-and-personal culinary experiences with cutting-edge chefs and sustainable seafood ambassadors, as well as a peek into BlueNalu’s production process.
BlueNalu is pioneering a type of of \’cellular aquaculture\’ in which living cells are isolated from fish tissue, placed into culture media for proliferation, and then assembled into great-tasting fresh and frozen seafood products. It is also continuing to develop its platform technology that enables production of a broad array of marine species, initially focusing on finfish including mahi mahi, red snapper, tuna, and yellowtail. The announcement said:
\’BlueNalu is developing cell-based seafood products that will be healthy for consumers, humane for sea life, and sustainable for our planet, and will be free of harmful levels of mercury, pathogens, parasites, microplastics, and other environmental contaminants.
\’Importantly, BlueNalu’s products are designed to have the same taste, texture, and performance as conventional seafood in all cooking and preparation methods. BlueNalu recently demonstrated that its yellowtail product had the same culinary characteristics as conventional yellowtail in all preparation applications, with the ability to be prepared in the raw form, cooked form (seared, grilled, broiled, fried, and microwaved), and prepared via acidification (e.g. in ceviche, poke, and kimchi applications)\’.
\’The announcement of this new facility is an exciting milestone for BlueNalu, as it is our intent to launch our products in the marketplace during the second-half of 2021,\’ said Lou Cooperhouse, CEO of BlueNalu. \’I am also pleased today to announce the hiring of Amir Feder as our CFO (chief financial officer), who will work closely with me on investor relations, corporate governance and our long-term corporate strategy.\’ Feder has an extensive background in corporate finance with more than 20 years of experience\’.
