Rehovot-based Aleph Farms recently took “one small step for man and one giant leap for mankind” by producing cultivated beefsteak on the International Space Station on September 26.

In collaboration with 3D Bioprinting Solutions (Russia) and American companies Meal Source Technologies and Finless Foods, Aleph Farms “printed” the beef under micro-gravity conditions, 248 miles (339 km) away from any natural resources.

Aleph Farms’ production method mimics a natural process of muscle-tissue regeneration occurring inside the cow’s body, under controlled conditions, using bovine cells.

The company, cofounded with Israeli food-tech incubator The Kitchen and Prof. Shulamit Levenberg of the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, aims to help feed the rapidly growing world population without slaughter, land waste, water waste or pollution.

“In space, we don’t have 10,000 or 15,000 liters [3962.58 gallons] of water available to produce 1 kilo [2.205 pounds] of beef,” said Didier Toubia, cofounder and CEO of Aleph Farms, which raised $12 million last May and was featured at FoodTechIL 2019 in Tel Aviv.

“This joint experiment marks a significant first step toward achieving our visionto ensure food security for generations to come, while preserving our natural resources,” Toubia said.