UMAMI Bioworks brings marine nutrition back to vegetarians with cultivated seafood supplements

The world is embracing plant-based diets faster than ever before. More than 1.5 billion people now identify as vegetarian or mostly plant-based – a 60% rise over the past decade. Yet a growing health blind spot remains: plants alone cannot provide all the nutrients the human body needs to thrive.

Vegetarians are especially prone to deficiencies in nutrients naturally abundant in seafood, including Vitamin B12, Omega-3s (DHA and EPA), iron, zinc, iodine, and Vitamin D. These nutrients are vital for brain health, energy, and immunity, but are often missing or poorly absorbed from plant sources. Vitamin B12, for instance, is produced only by marine bacteria, not plants. Iron from lentils or spinach is absorbed up to five times less efficiently than from shellfish. Plant-based Omega-3s (ALA) convert poorly to DHA and EPA, the brain- and heart-protective forms found in fish. Vitamin D and iodine, meanwhile, are concentrated in marine species rather than in soil-grown crops.

The very nutrients most vegetarians lack are those that nature designed fish to make. But with ocean ecosystems under strain, the world cannot sustainably rely on wild or farmed seafood to meet this growing nutritional demand – and that is where UMAMI Bioworks steps in.

The Singapore-based biotech innovator has developed a new way to grow the nutrition of seafood without catching or farming fish. Using its AI-driven ALKEMYST bioplatform, UMAMI 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’s initial programs focus on eel, salmon, and tuna – species known for their high DHA/EPA ratios, taurine, selenium, and collagen-rich matrices. By cultivating these cell lines, the intrinsic nutrition of these species can now be produced in a contaminant-free, consistent, and cruelty-free way. These cultivated marine ingredients form the foundation of UMAMI’s new supplement portfolio, designed to deliver the complete marine nutrition vegetarians need in a clean, traceable, and planet-positive format.

“Vegetarians and plant-forward consumers shouldn’t have to compromise their health,” commented Mehaa Bajaj, Product Manager at UMAMI Bioworks. “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 approach bridges one of the largest gaps in global nutrition by reconnecting plant-based consumers with essential marine nutrients – without compromising ethics or ecology. Instead of extracting resources from the sea, UMAMI grows them directly from carefully optimized marine cell lines.

This innovation also opens the door to a new class of functional ingredients for the wider food and nutrition industries. Cultivated marine bioactives can be incorporated into foods, beverages, and supplements, providing the nutritional richness of seafood without the environmental cost. The technology could support the transition to more sustainable food systems while improving health outcomes for the rapidly growing number of people reducing or eliminating animal products from their diets.

UMAMI Bioworks is now in advanced stages of commercialization with leading global partners. Its first products – based on cultivated marine bioactives – are expected to launch with major brands in 2026.

By blending biotechnology with marine science, the company aims to bring the benefits of ocean nutrition to everyone – no fishing required.