Cultivated meat 'breakthrough' addresses scalability challenges

A recent study by Believer Meats founder Yaakov Nahmias and a multidisciplinary team at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem promised to tackle the industry’s critical challenges of scalability and cost effectiveness.

The study, ‘Continuous Manufacturing of Cultivated Meat: Empirical Economic Analysis​’, published in Nature Food, demonstrated the use of tangential flow filtration (TFF) for the continuous manufacturing of cultivated meat.

Nahmias and his team employed a new bioreactor assembly that permitted biomass expansion to 130 billion cells per litre, achieving yields of 43% weight per volume.

This process was carried out continuously over 20 days, enabling daily biomass harvests.  Additionally, the research introduced an animal component-free culture medium – priced at $0.63 per litre – which supported the long-term, high-density culture of chicken cells.

Ford assembly line

Nahmias said the project was inspired by Ford’s assembly line which revolutionised the car industry 110 years ago.

“Our findings show that continuous manufacturing enables cultivated meat production at a fraction of current costs, without resorting to genetic modification or mega-factories,”​ said Nahmias. “This technology brings us closer to making cultivated meat a viable and sustainable alternative to traditional animal farming.”​

Utilizing the study’s empirical data, the team conducted a techno-economic analysis of a hypothetical 50,000 litre production facility. The analysis indicated that the cost of production of cultivated chicken could theoretically be reduced to $6.20 (£4.71) per pound, aligning with the price of organic chicken.

Commenting on the findings, The Good Food Institute’s (GFI’s) principal scientist at cultivated meat Dr Elliot Swartz said: “The study confirms early theoretical calculations that serum-free media can be produced at costs well below $1/L without forfeiting productivity, which is a key factor for cultivated meat achieving cost-competitiveness.​

Real world evidence

“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.”​

Authors of the study acknowledged that various other factors would affect the final market price of cultivated meat, but were confident in the potential of continuous manufacturing to significantly lower production costs. This would ultimately lead to cultivated meat becoming more accessible to consumers and competitive with conventional meat products.

Bruce Friedrich, president of The Good Food Institute, added: “GFI applauds the spirit of openness that continues to characterize cultivated meat researchers like Dr. Koby Nahmias and his colleagues, who understand that showing the scientific potential of cultivated meat will benefit all scientists working in the field.”​

Meanwhile, food startup Gourmey has submitted an application to UK regulators for the authorisation of its cultivated foie gras.​​