Lab-grown meat, also known as cultivated or cell-based meat, represents a new approach to food production. This meat is real animal flesh, identical at a molecular level to traditional meat, but it is grown outside of an animal in a controlled environment. This innovative process falls under the umbrella of cellular agriculture, which uses cell culture methods to produce agricultural products.
Obtaining Starter Cells
The journey of lab-grown meat begins with obtaining a small sample of cells from a living animal, such as a cow, chicken, or pig. This initial step involves a harmless, minor biopsy. These collected cells, often muscle stem cells or mesenchymal stem cells, serve as the foundational material for cultivation.
Scientists then work to establish “immortalized” cell lines from these initial samples. Unlike primary cells, which can only divide a limited number of times, immortalized cell lines are engineered to proliferate indefinitely. This characteristic is highly advantageous for large-scale production, as a single biopsy can yield an enormous quantity of meat without continuous animal sourcing.
Growing Cells in a Bioreactor
Once starter cells are obtained, they are transferred to a bioreactor, a controlled environment designed to mimic the conditions inside an animal’s body. These bioreactors are similar to fermentation tanks used in other industries. Here, the cells are submerged in a nutrient-rich liquid called a growth medium.
The growth medium provides the cells with all the necessary components for multiplication, including a carbon-based energy source like glucose, amino acids, salts, and vitamins. Additionally, growth factors and other proteins are often supplemented to encourage cell proliferation and differentiation. As the cells consume nutrients and grow, they release byproducts, which are carefully monitored and managed to maintain optimal conditions for cell viability and growth within the bioreactor. This environment allows the cells to divide and multiply rapidly, creating a large biomass of undifferentiated cells.
Forming Muscle and Tissue Structures
After the cells have multiplied sufficiently in the bioreactor, the next step involves guiding them to form organized muscle fibers and other tissue components. This process is known as differentiation, where generic cells develop into specialized cell types such as muscle, fat, and connective tissue cells. The growth medium composition is often adjusted to encourage this differentiation into the desired cell types.
To achieve a recognizable meat structure, a “scaffold” is often introduced. This scaffold is an edible, three-dimensional framework, frequently made from plant-based materials. The scaffold provides mechanical support and a surface for the cells to attach, organize, and grow into complex 3D structures, mimicking the natural extracellular matrix found in animal tissue. The scaffold also facilitates nutrient delivery and waste removal throughout the growing tissue, which is important for forming thicker, more complex cuts of meat like steaks, rather than just minced products.
Processing the Cultivated Meat
Following the successful growth and structuring of the meat tissue, the cultivated product is harvested from the bioreactor and scaffold. The harvested meat then undergoes further processing to prepare it for consumption.
These final steps can include shaping the cultivated meat into familiar forms, such as patties, nuggets, or steak-like cuts. Seasoning and coloring may also be applied to enhance the product’s taste and appearance, making it ready for packaging and distribution. The entire cultivation process, from initial cell acquisition to a finished product, can take approximately two to eight weeks, depending on the type of meat being produced.