Cellular agriculture aims to supply the increasing market for animal products. However, because present production technology produces low yields, economic projections prevent the scalability of cultivated meat.
A new study from a multidisciplinary team at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the cultivated meat industry reported a pioneering new method for producing cultivated meat. This new continuous manufacturing process addresses the key challenges of scalability and cost, potentially making cultivated meat accessible to everyday consumers and contributing to a more sustainable and ethical food system.
Scientists used tangential flow filtration (TFF) to continuously manufacture cultivated meat, producing biomass of up to 130 billion cells per liter and yielding 43% weight per volume.
The process was carried out continuously over 20 days, enabling daily biomass harvests. The study also presents a growth medium with no animal components and costs only $0.63 per liter. This medium is designed to support chicken cells’ high-density, long-term culture. Put differently, this continuous manufacturing approach could make farmed meat production more affordable and simpler, making it more accessible to general consumers.
The study shows that continuous manufacturing enables cultivated meat production at a fraction of current costs without resorting to genetic modification or mega-factories. This technology brings us closer to making cultivated meat a viable and sustainable alternative to traditional animal farming.
This study is a significant advance in the economic feasibility of cultivated meat. Using empirical data, scientists conducted a techno-economic analysis of a hypothetical 50,000-liter production facility. Based on analysis, the cost of production of cultivated chicken could be reduced to $6.20 per pound.
Dr. Elliot Swartz, Principal Scientist at Cultivated Meat, The Good Food Institute, emphasized the significance of the study’s findings, stating, “This important study provides numerous data points that demonstrate the economic feasibility of cultivated meat. The study confirms early theoretical calculations that serum-free media can be produced at costs well below $1/L without forfeiting productivity, a key factor for cultivated meat achieving cost-competitiveness.”
“Empirical data is the bedrock for any cost model of scaled cultivated meat production, and this study is the first to provide real-world empirical evidence for key factors that influence the cost of production, such as media cost, metabolic efficiency, and achievable yields in a scalable bioprocess design.”
Other authors noted, “Various other factors would affect the final market price of cultivated meat; this research underscores the potential of continuous manufacturing to significantly lower production costs, making cultivated meat more accessible to consumers and competitive with conventional meat products.”
Along with promising cellular agriculture in meeting the global demand for animal products, this study aligns with broader environmental and ethical objectives by reducing reliance on traditional livestock farming.
This technological innovation may significantly impact food security, safety, and animal welfare to meet the needs of a world population that is becoming increasingly impacted by climate change. The study’s implications for humanity’s future are likely to spark intense interest from a wide range of academic fields and the media.
Journal Reference:
- Pasitka, L., Wissotsky, G., Ayyash, M. et al. Empirical economic analysis shows cost-effective continuous manufacturing of cultivated chicken using animal-free medium. Nat Food (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s43016-024-01022-w
