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Sustainability meets functionality in spirulina-based smoked salmon analogue

A foodtech company has received EU regulatory approval for its texturised fresh spirulina, the base ingredient in its plant-based smoked salmon analogue.

With industrial production now complete, $4 million in new funding, and approval from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), SimpliiGood hopes to ramp up production of Simplii Texture to meet an anticipated wave of demand.

The texturised spirulina ingredient is expected to yield hundreds of tonnes annually. Each 1 kg of Simplii Texture can be transformed into 3 to 4kg of its plant-based clean-label smoked salmon delicacy.

Baruch Dach, chief technology officer and co-founder of SimpliiGood, told Ingredients Network that the inspiration behind the spirulina-based smoked salmon stemmed from two simultaneous needs – the “urgent sustainability crisis in seafood and the untapped functional potential of spirulina”.

He explained: “Unlike soy or pea protein, which require heavy processing to mimic muscle texture, spirulina’s native filament structure allows us to create meat-like textures with minimal intervention. That makes it ideal for recreating delicate fish formats like smoked salmon.”

Simplii Texture: Customisable across various plant-based seafood formats

SimpliiGood, whose parent company is AlgaeCore technologies, grows its spirulina in ponds within greenhouses using 98% recycled water. The crop grows rapidly, with a harvest every 24 hours.

According to Dach, the Simplii Texture platform, alongside being sustainable, is also highly modular.

“By adjusting filament concentration, fibre alignment, and emulsion ratios, we can replicate textures ranging from sashimi to deli meats. This opens the door to dozens of use cases, including high-protein spreads, ready-to-eat meals, and even sushi components,” he said.

Beyond smoked salmon, Dach explained that the company is developing spirulina-based formats for plant-based and hybrid salmon fillets, white fish analogues, smoked trout and tuna-style products, crab cake-style seafood blends, and high-protein fish spreads.

Price competitive with premium smoked salmon ‘within 12 to 18 months’

By working directly with biomass producers and streamlining downstream processing, Dach explained that the company has “reduced costs significantly compared to extrusion or fermentation-based alternatives”.

“Our goal isn’t just parity – it’s price performance,” he said, adding: “Unlike mycelium or lab-grown seafood, our system doesn’t rely on high CapEx infrastructure or long growth cycles.

“We expect our production to become cost-competitive with premium smoked salmon within 12 to 18 months, and potentially reach parity with mid-market seafood products as we scale.”

Scaling spirulina-based ingredients to food manufacturers and airline catering

Dach explained that SimpliiGood does not plan to market a finished consumer product itself.

“We collaborate closely with industry partners and provide ready-to-eat product prototypes (such as smoked salmon analogue sandwiches) to demonstrate the ingredient’s unique versatility and potential applications,” he said.

“Broadening our product concept portfolio with application-driven prototypes, beginning with deli-style items such as plant-based smoked salmon sandwiches. These are intended as inspiration and development tools for our B2B partners,” he added.

Over the next 12 months, Dach explained that the company will focus on “scaling production through partnerships with strategic co-manufacturers and high-quality spirulina biomass producers, to ensure stable, efficient supply as we enter larger markets”.

Alongside this, the company hopes to expand the distribution of its spirulina-based ingredient to food manufacturers, premium food service, airline catering, and select retail pilot programmes across Europe and Israel.