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Unprecedented Efficiency: New Manufacturing Method Could Make Cultivated Meat Cheaper Than Organic Chicken
Scitech Daily ^ | August 24, 2024 | The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Posted on 08/24/2024 6:25:23 AM PDT by Red Badger

A new study introduces a continuous manufacturing method for cultivated meat that significantly lowers costs and enhances scalability, making it a viable and sustainable alternative to conventional meat and promising major advancements in global food security and sustainability.

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A new study showcases a scalable, cost-effective method for producing cultivated meat, marking a significant step towards sustainable and ethical food production.

A pioneering study unveils the first affordable method for producing cultivated meat. The research highlights that continuous manufacturing effectively overcomes the main challenges of scalability and cost, bringing cultivated meat closer to everyday consumers and paving the way for a more sustainable and ethical food system.

In an extraordinary stride for cellular agriculture, Professor Yaakov Nahmias, founder of Believer Meats, and a multidisciplinary team at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the cultivated meat industry unveiled a pioneering continuous manufacturing process for cultivated meat. This innovation tackles the industry’s critical challenges of scalability and cost-effectiveness.

The study, published in Nature Food, demonstrates the use of tangential flow filtration (TFF) for the continuous manufacturing of cultivated meat. The new bioreactor assembly permits biomass expansion to 130 billion cells per liter, achieving yields of 43% weight per volume. The process was carried out continuously over 20 days, enabling daily biomass harvests. Additionally, the research introduces an animal component-free culture medium, priced at just $0.63 per liter, which supports the long-term, high-density culture of chicken cells. In other words, this continuous manufacturing method could significantly reduce the cost and complexity of cultivated meat production, potentially bringing it closer to everyday consumers.

Economic Impact and Sustainability

“We were inspired by how Ford’s automated assembly line revolutionized the car industry 110 years ago,” stated Prof. Nahmias. “Our findings show 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.”

Bruce Friedrich, President of The Good Food Institute, expressed his support, stating, “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.”

This research represents a significant advance in the economic feasibility of cultivated meat, addressing previous concerns about high costs and low yields. Utilizing this empirical data, the team conducted a techno-economic analysis of a hypothetical 50,000-liter production facility. The analysis indicates that the cost of production of cultivated chicken could theoretically be reduced to $6.20 per pound, aligning with the price of organic chicken.

Real-World Data and Cost Reduction

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, which is a key factor for cultivated meat achieving cost-competitiveness.”

Dr. Swartz added that “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.”

While the authors acknowledged that 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.

This study not only highlights the promise of cellular agriculture in meeting the global demand for animal products but also aligns with broader environmental and ethical objectives by reducing reliance on traditional livestock farming.

The research represents the first demonstration of cost-efficient manufacturing of cultivated meat and the first empirical economic analysis based on solid data. It is a collaborative effort involving engineers, biologists, and chemists at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and ADM-funded Believer Meats, which is currently building the world’s first large-scale industrial production facility for cultivated chicken.

Broader Implications and Future Outlook

As global demand for animal protein is expected to double by 2050, cellular agriculture offers a solution to meet this demand, especially as resource-intensive livestock production reaches its peak capacity. Despite recent FDA approvals for cultivated meat production, large-scale production of cultivated meat has yet to become a reality. Previous techno-economic analyses suggested economic challenges, ranging from factory to raw materials costs, casting doubt about the viability of cultivated meat production.

This work presents groundbreaking solutions, including novel filter stack perfusion that reduced factory costs, an animal component-free medium that reduced raw material costs, and continuous manufacturing that increased factory capacity, projecting an annual production of 2.14 million kg of cultivated chicken at cost parity with USDA organic chicken even for a small 50,000-liter facility.

This technological advancement could have a profound impact on animal welfare, food safety, and food security, addressing the needs of a global population increasingly affected by climate change. The study is expected to generate significant interest across multiple disciplines and resonate in popular media due to its implications for the future of humanity.

Reference:

“Empirical economic analysis shows cost-effective continuous manufacturing of cultivated chicken using animal-free medium” by Laura Pasitka, Guy Wissotsky, Muneef Ayyash, Nir Yarza, Gal Rosoff, Revital Kaminker and Yaakov Nahmias, 21 August 2024, Nature Food.

DOI: 10.1038/s43016-024-01022-w

Food Science The Hebrew University of Jerusalem


TOPICS: Agriculture; Business/Economy; Food; Health/Medicine
KEYWORDS: cultivatedmeat
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To: null and void

Took me a second 🤪.......


61 posted on 08/24/2024 8:20:15 AM PDT by Red Badger (Homeless veterans camp in the streets while illegals are put up in 5 Star hotels....................)
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To: Red Badger

NO FRANKENFOOD. !!!!!!


62 posted on 08/24/2024 8:32:05 AM PDT by _longranger81
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To: null and void

Apparently, it can be kosher depending on details of the process, at least according to the OU.

Of course, the increasingly liberal OU/RCA may not have the final say. Agudath Israel and hassidic authorities will have to be considered.

I’d guess most hareidi Jews will not accept lab grown meat regardless.


63 posted on 08/24/2024 8:35:37 AM PDT by jjotto ( Blessed are You LORD, who crushes enemies and subdues the wicked.)
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To: SamuraiScot

I think they ARE cancer.


64 posted on 08/24/2024 9:03:33 AM PDT by Disambiguator
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To: jjotto

Thanks.

All Kosher ingredients, no mixing of meat and milk, any mammal parts all from the same species of cloven hooves and chews a cud?

I suppose that would technically qualify as Kosher.


65 posted on 08/24/2024 9:15:33 AM PDT by null and void (Don't hallucinate and legislate, don't hallucinate and educate...)
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To: null and void

How will they keep insect parts out or even cells from workers or anything else in the environment ?


66 posted on 08/24/2024 9:25:19 AM PDT by butlerweave
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To: Red Badger

Trump should put RFKjr in control of FDA (or something).


67 posted on 08/24/2024 9:50:44 AM PDT by Cold Heart
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To: Brian Griffin

Compared to the 67 cent chicken leg quarters I currently buy.
I remember when porterhouse steaks and ribeyes were cheaper than organic chicken.

I wouldn’t have an issue with engineered meat except for two main issues:

The mere existence of the stuff as an option will be used by animal rights Nazis to make traditional farming and hunting illegal...

And some immoral pervert- genius will culture human cells for meat production to get a market niche pleasing the tastes of the criminally insane.

No doubt other problems will arise... among them one we are starting to suffer now: the problem of losing our society’s agricultural people, people whose experiences working with animals and the land gives them common sense insight into humanity and liberty that urban dwellers lack. They are the bulwark against mass hysteria and mental health problems in the rest of the population that can make people trade their rights for security.


68 posted on 08/24/2024 10:08:16 AM PDT by piasa (Attitude adjustments offered here free of charge)
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To: Qwapisking

They already sell chicken hotdogs and they are gross.


69 posted on 08/24/2024 10:09:26 AM PDT by piasa (Attitude adjustments offered here free of charge)
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To: mythenjoseph

I notice when cooking for people that part of the challenge is that in a steak, for example, some people like myself absolutely love the fatty parts while others insist all that be cut off.
So when I shop, I choose the steaks for each individual I will be serving based on their preferences.
Manufactured meat will be uniform, a dull compromise, compared to the options we now have, which are already being limited by inflation.


70 posted on 08/24/2024 10:16:46 AM PDT by piasa (Attitude adjustments offered here free of charge)
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To: bobbo666

H. Beam Piper had that in “Four Day Planet”.🤔


71 posted on 08/24/2024 10:56:16 AM PDT by BiteYourSelf ( Earth first, we'll strip mine the other planets later.)
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To: null and void

Like Larry Niven’s “Bordered in Black”.🤔


72 posted on 08/24/2024 10:59:25 AM PDT by BiteYourSelf ( Earth first, we'll strip mine the other planets later.)
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