After signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on 12 December 2022, James Cook University (JCU) in Singapore and Umami Meats have agreed to strengthen and expand their collaboration in areas of mutual interest, particularly on the subjects of allergens, food safety, and cultivated fish.

Notably, the MOU will facilitate discussion on research and development projects in the areas of cultivated fish and food safety. In particular, the two organisations will be collaborating to:

• Evaluate the relative allergenicity, toxicity, and food safety of cultivated fish in comparison to wild caught or farmed fish
• Develop multiomics profiles for a variety of fish species of interest for cell cultivation to develop baseline data for food safety, allergenicity, flavour, and nutrition.

These goals leverage JCU’s strong foundation in aquaculture, while contributing to the aims of the Tropical Futures Institute (TFI) at JCU in Singapore — which include sustainable production of aquaculture species, encompassing genetics, animal health and nutrition, and investigating allergies in order to promote healthy ageing.

Professor Andreas Lopata, Professor in Medical Sciences at TFI and head of JCU’s Molecular Allergy Research Laboratory, said, “Seafood plays a critical role in sustainably feeding the growing world population. We promote the safe production and consumption of farmed and cell-cultivated seafood through translational research excellence.”

Mr Mihir Pershad, Founder and CEO of Umami Meats, elaborated, “Seafood is a major source of protein for more than 3 billion people worldwide. As we work toward making cultivated ‘not caught’ fish an affordable, healthy, and reliable source of seafood for these consumers, it is imperative that we also ensure its safety. We are pleased to be deepening our collaboration with JCU in this area and to partnering with their world-class experts for the evaluation of allergens and safety of cultivated fish.”

Dr Thimo Ruethers, Research Fellow in Human Health & Ageing at TFI, added, “More than 1,000 fish species are consumed worldwide and they are all very different by their look, taste, nutrition and their allergenicity. We are seeking the best species and production innovations for a sustainable healthy diet.”

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Contacts

Professor Andreas Lopata [email protected]
Dr Thimo Ruethers [email protected]
Mr Mihir Pershad [email protected]
Media: Mr Edwin Teo [email protected]