journal article Open Access Jun 17, 2021

Scale‐up economics for cultured meat

Biotechnology and Bioengineering Vol. 118 No. 8 pp. 3239-3250 · Wiley
View at Publisher Save 10.1002/bit.27848
Abstract
AbstractThis analysis examines the potential of “cultured meat” products made from edible animal cell culture to measurably displace the global consumption of conventional meat. Recognizing that the scalability of such products must in turn depend on the scale and process intensity of animal cell production, this study draws on technoeconomic analysis perspectives in industrial fermentation and upstream biopharmaceuticals to assess the extent to which animal cell culture could be scaled like a fermentation process. Low growth rate, metabolic inefficiency, catabolite inhibition, and shear‐induced cell damage will all limit practical bioreactor volume and attainable cell density. Equipment and facilities with adequate microbial contamination safeguards have high capital costs. The projected costs of suitably pure amino acids and protein growth factors are also high. The replacement of amino‐acid media with plant protein hydrolysates is discussed and requires further study. Capital‐ and operating‐cost analyses of conceptual cell‐mass production facilities indicate economics that would likely preclude the affordability of their products as food. The analysis concludes that metabolic efficiency enhancements and the development of low‐cost media from plant hydrolysates are both necessary but insufficient conditions for displacement of conventional meat by cultured meat.
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Citations
43
References
Details
Published
Jun 17, 2021
Vol/Issue
118(8)
Pages
3239-3250
License
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Cite This Article
David Humbird (2021). Scale‐up economics for cultured meat. Biotechnology and Bioengineering, 118(8), 3239-3250. https://doi.org/10.1002/bit.27848
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