The center will house pilot lines for cell cultivation and precision fermentation, bridging the gap between benchtop and commercial production of alternative proteins.
The fish products made from the cell mass, such as fish sticks or fish balls, are both GMO-free and free from heavy metals and microplastics often found in wild-caught fish. They are similar to conventional products in terms of taste, nutritional content, and cooking behavior.
Researchers at Mars have already reported reductions in development time of up to 40% through computer modeling and in the quantity of plastic purchased by Mars for testing by approximately 246 tons.
The first-of-its kind report from the food giant was completed in partnership with sales data from NielsenIQ, in-home consumption behaviors from Circana's National Eating Trends, and in-depth social media trend predictors from Black Swan Data.