The Israeli startup Redefine Meat announced on Tuesday that it is beginning to test its 3-D printed steaks in high-end restaurants in Israel in expectation of large-scale distribution to meat distributors in 2021.

Using industrial-size 3-D food printers, Redefine Steak produces its Alt-Steaks with plant-based formulations such as soy, sunflower oil, coconut fat and pea proteins, printing up to 50 steaks an hour.

Redefine formulated the steaks by digitally mapping over 70 sensorial parameters including premium beef cuts’ texture, juiciness, fat distribution and mouthfeel. It uses Alt-Muscle, Alt-Fat, and Alt-Blood ingredient packs to create the high-protein steaks that look, cook, and taste like beef but have no cholesterol.

“The importance of using precision 3D printing technology to achieve texture, color and flavor—and the combinations between them—cannot be overstated,” said Eshchar Ben-Shitrit, CEO and co-founder of Redefine. “By using separate formulations for muscle, fat and blood, we can focus on each individual aspect of creating the perfect Alt-Steak product. This is unique to our 3D printing technology and lets us achieve unprecedented control of what happens inside the matrix of alt-meat.”

WATCH: Israeli start-up Redefine Meat plans to roll out its industrial-scale 3D printers to meat distributors next year pic.twitter.com/nu3Is6dklF

— Reuters Asia (@ReutersAsia) July 1, 2020

Redefine is planning on selling its 3-D meat printers and alt-meat formulations to restaurants in 2021. The printers allow restaurants to produce steaks according to order: soft or harder, dry or juicier or high or low fat.

Redefine Meat, an Israeli company unveils a #vegan steak which replicates texture, flavour & appearance of real-life #meat using 3D-printing technology.
It's made out of soy& pea proteins, coconut fat, sunflower oil with natural colours… #GoVeganhttps://t.co/u8KDzDQnnQ pic.twitter.com/eWNfWo38XJ

— Mayank Jain (@mayankjain100) July 1, 2020

Redefine hopes to capitalize on the burgeoning international meat alternative market, which is expected to reach $4.2 billion by 2021, with reports singling out the coronavirus, believed to have been spread to humans by bats, as well as other animal-borne illnesses, as one of the major factors driving the market.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)