© Umami Bioworks
More than 1.5 billion people worldwide now identify as vegetarian or mostly plant-based – a 60 percent rise over the past decade. However, those on plant-based diets often face deficiencies in nutrients naturally abundant in seafood, such as Vitamin B12, Omega-3s (DHA and EPA), iron, zinc, iodine, and Vitamin D. These micronutrients are essential for brain health, energy and immunity – but are often missing or poorly absorbed from plant sources. For example, Vitamin B12 is produced only by marine bacteria, not plants, and plant-based Omega-3s convert poorly into the brain- and heart-protective DHA and EPA forms found in fish.
The Singapore-based biotech innovator adresses this by developing a sustainable way to grow the nutrition of seafood, without catching or farming fish. Using its AI-driven Alkemyst bioplatform, Umami Bioworks* cultivates marine cells that naturally produce the same bioactive compounds found in fish, including pure Omega-3s, collagen peptides and micronutrients like selenium and B12 – all without toxins, bycatch, or ocean depletion.
Umami Bioworks’s initial programmes focus on eel, salmon and tuna which are species renowned for their high DHA/EPA ratios, taurine, selenium and collagen-rich matrices. By cultivating these cell lines, the intrinsic nutrition of these species is now available as contaminant-free, consistent and cruelty-free supplements.These cultivated marine ingredients form the foundation of Umami Bioworks’s new supplement portfolio.
“Vegetarians and plant-forward consumers shouldn’t have to compromise their health,” said Mehaa Bajaj, product manager at Umami Bioworks, in a press release. “We’ve built a platform that recreates the ocean’s most powerful nutrients without relying on the ocean. This is how the plant-based generation gets the benefits of seafood, sustainably.”
The company’s cultivated marine bioactives are designed to bridge this gap in global nutrition. Umami Bioworks is in advanced stages of commercialisation with leading global partners, with its first products slated to launch with major brands in 2026.
*Umami Bioworks is one of Hatch Blue’s portfolio companies, but The Fish Site retains editorial independence.
