Research into protein production from cell cultures has been growing rapidly over the past 6 years. Several groups around the world have been researching more appropriate and efficient cultivation conditions for meat production from cell cultures on an industrial scale, which would allow the process to be safe, less costly and more profitable. Several startups have dedicated themselves to the topic, but none of them has yet presented an economic model for large-scale production.
Although the technology is more developed for animal cell culture, for the production of beef, pork and chicken, fish and seafood, similar processes have already proven viable for the production of milk proteins, collagen and eggs.
An entire production chain is being formed around this topic, from suppliers of cell lines, culture media, bioprocess design and bioreactor manufacturing, optimization of biotechnological processes, biomaterials for supports (scaffolds) and technologies for downstreaming the protein production process through cell culture. Interest is growing and much research and investment has been dedicated to the development of this technology. At the same time, regulatory agencies and the production sector are already seeking to structure the regulatory framework to guarantee the safety of the product and enable its commercialization.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United States, the agricultural sector accounts for 18% of greenhouse gas emissions, 30% of land use, 70% of all global agriculture, and 8% of water consumption (FAO 2009; Bhat et al. 2019). Even so, the demand for meat consumption is expected to double by 2050, making traditional meat production unsustainable (Henchion et al. 2017). Regarding sustainability issues during meat production, it is necessary to consider not only CO2 emissions from enteric fermentation during animal husbandry; but also activities related to feed production, such as the use of fertilizers and pesticides, land use and water consumption by agriculture, in addition to veterinary products for animal treatment.
Meat production using animals is considered inefficient, since animals consume large amounts of food, with most of the energy spent on their own metabolism and the production of inedible tissues (such as bones, tendons and leather). In contrast, the structure of cultivated meat does not contain offal or inedible components, which not only reduces production time but also reduces the amount of nutrients required per kilogram of meat.
In terms of water consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, meat cultivation is more efficient, but in terms of energy parameters it will only be beneficial if accompanied by renewable energy (Bhat et al. 2019). Furthermore, it is believed that the use of cultured cells would allow control over the use of antibiotics in production, reducing their consumption, as well as problems related to the resistance of microorganisms due to their use in agriculture.
The production of cultivated meat is also based on ethical aspects regarding the use of animals for human consumption. It is considered that the meat industry in general (cattle, poultry or pigs) presents critical breeding conditions, such as super-confinement and mistreatment. Furthermore, it inevitably requires the slaughter of animals to obtain the final product.
The risk of spreading infectious diseases by microorganisms such as Salmonella and Listeria is also minimized in the production of cultivated meat, since it allows for greater control over the handling of nutrients and aseptic production conditions. The meat produced can undergo rigorous quality control, resulting in a final product free from infections, diseases, parasites, or even chemical contaminants. Furthermore, with greater control over the added ingredients, cell types, and their differentiation under this system, the composition of the developed product can be adapted according to consumer demands.
