Cell Based Meat

Cell Based Meat

1. What is Cell Based Meat?

   • Edible animal cell culture
   • Biopsies are taken from host animals that undergo initial cell culturing, then into large fermentation vats for large scale production

2. How to Appeal to Consumers

   • Emphasize the absence of antibiotics and hormones in cell-based meat
   • Share the production process openly, emphasizing safety, quality, and ethical considerations to build trust
   • Highlight the potential health benefits, such as lower saturated fats and customizable nutritional profiles
   • Provide clear information about the environmental, ethical, and health benefits

3. Solutions

   • How could we make it affordable?
     • The most important cost driver in the cell-based meat manufacturing process is the culture medium, which accounts for 55% to 95% of the entire production cost. (Kolkmann et al., 2020)
       • Make or utllize a cost effective medium for large scale production
     • Need significant investment and support and would have to work
   • Nutrition & Meat Like Quality
     • Several studies have found that by exposing cultured bovine muscle fibers to low oxygen levels, myoglobin expression is increased, leading the color to resemble that of actual meat (Kanatous and Mammen, 2010)
   • Overall more research and technological advances must be done to create a solution to the scale problem along with perfecting it into a product that consumers with buy

4. Problems

   • We do not know its environmental impact as its production still requires energy-intensive processes
   • Skepticism and hesitation among consumers regarding the safety, taste, and ethical implications of lab-grown meat
   • Ensuring that cell-based meat replicates the nutritional profile of conventional meat, including essential amino acids and micronutrients,
   • Producing cell-based meat is currently expensive due to the complex processes and materials involved. Scaling production to meet consumer demand remains a significant hurdle
   • Achieving the texture, flavor, and appearance of conventional meat is a technological challenge
   • Regulation Issues: FDA and USDA reached an agreement on regulatory responsibilities with FDA overseeing cell collection and development to the point of harvest and USDA overseeing the manufacture and labeling of food products derived from the cells

5. Why Cell Based Meat?

   • Improving animal welfare: By producing meat without raising and slaughtering animals, cell-based meat offers a more humane alternative
   • Food Security: Cultured meat can help meet the growing global demand for protein, particularly as the population increases and arable land decreases
   • By eliminating the need for live animals, the risk of zoonotic diseases decreases
   • Production can be located anywhere & open up more jobs