UMAMI Bioworks unveils 'Arbiter': an advanced solution for seafood disease detection and quality assurance

UMAMI Bioworks, the specialist involved in cellular agriculture and sustainable biotech solutions, has introduced Arbiter, a breakthrough seafood quality assurance platform. As UMAMI Bioworks moves beyond cultivated seafood, Arbiter represents a significant expansion into broader biotech applications, aiming to tackle key challenges in pathogen detection and quality control across the seafood industry. With Arbiter’s launch, UMAMI Bioworks is building on its core expertise in marine biology to address pressing quality assurance needs, enhancing both food safety and environmental protection across the seafood value chain.

The Arbiter platform sets a new standard for the industry, offering unmatched precision, speed, and cost efficiency for pathogen detection. Arbiter's nucleic acid-based testing platform is designed to detect up to 800 unique targets in a single run, providing actionable, high-sensitivity results in under six hours. This rapid diagnostic capacity means that Arbiter users can detect pathogens early and address issues before they escalate. Unlike traditional methods that can be labor-intensive and time-consuming, Arbiter requires less than 15 minutes of preparation time to process up to 50 samples, making it a streamlined solution for any operation. And at less than US$1 per target, Arbiter is an economical option designed to bring accessible, objective, and scalable diagnostics to a wide range of stakeholders.

UMAMI Bioworks is best known for its pioneering work in cultivated seafood and pet food, where it has applied cellular agriculture to create sustainable products that meet the rising global demand for protein while addressing environmental concerns. The introduction of Arbiter, however, signals a bold step for the company, bringing its advanced cellular biology expertise into broader biotech applications. Arbiter’s design is intended to meet critical needs across several sectors, from aquaculture to environmental monitoring, creating pathways for UMAMI Bioworks to address challenges that extend far beyond traditional seafood markets.

Arbiter’s high sensitivity and rapid diagnostics are particularly suited to the aquaculture industry, where diseases in species like salmon, shrimp, and tilapia represent significant economic risks. By allowing for precise, rapid pathogen detection, Arbiter aims to minimize these risks by identifying infections early. As infectious diseases continue to cause significant losses in aquaculture, Arbiter offers a valuable tool for managing these challenges, providing a preventive measure that could reduce mortality rates and improve overall productivity in fish and shrimp farming.

Beyond aquaculture, Arbiter is well-positioned to address food safety and quality assurance in global food systems. Food safety has become a critical concern as supply chains grow increasingly complex, and Arbiter’s broad testing capability makes it highly effective for pathogen detection, contamination control, and quality assurance. By providing highly accurate diagnostics, Arbiter aims to help food producers and distributors meet stringent regulatory requirements, ensuring that consumers have access to safe, high-quality products.

Arbiter is also expected to play a role in environmental monitoring. Aquatic ecosystems are vulnerable to a variety of harmful pathogens that can threaten biodiversity and disrupt the delicate balance of marine habitats. With its advanced pathogen detection capabilities, Arbiter could enable researchers and environmental agencies to monitor water quality more effectively, helping them to identify and mitigate potential threats to ecosystems.

UMAMI Bioworks’ CEO, Mihir Pershad, emphasized the company's commitment to using cutting-edge science to address pressing issues across multiple industries. "The introduction of Arbiter not only embodies our commitment to pushing scientific boundaries but also to creating real-world impact by tackling significant challenges across multiple industries," said Pershad. “It exemplifies our core mission—to harness the power of cellular biology and our ocean heritage to solve some of the world’s most pressing challenges and create a healthier future for humanity.”