Introduction / Background Information

One major challenge the Earth faces is the rising global demand for meat consumption. It may come as a surprise, but the global demand for meat is intricately tied to the sustainability of Earth’s climate. “Animal agriculture contributes 14.5% of global greenhouse emissions and occupies 77% of Earth’s habitable land … while only providing 17% of global calory supply” (Seah et al., 2022). These statistics are truly jarring: an alternative to animal agriculture would significantly alleviate the strain on the environment and would allow more of Earth’s habitable land to be used for other purposes. Lab grown meat or cultivated meat, the cellular agriculture of producing meat by growing animal cells in vitro, is a prospective solution in this day and age. The process of making cultivated meat begins with a cell biopsy that is taken from the desired animal (as seen in Figure 1 below). This cell biopsy can include skeletal muscle cells or stem cells that can freely differentiate into many different cell lines. The starter cells from the biopsy are then placed into a bioreactor, a nutrient rich medium that is designed to enhance cell proliferation. The cells clump together into structures called myotubes and finally the myotubes coalesce to form the final product – Figure 1 shows a final product of a piece of edible steak.

Although promising, meat cultivation technology has not perfected the art of replicating meat provided by livestock. One key component that has not been accurately reproduced by meat cultivation is the texture and firmness of the meat. Cultured meat does not undergo the same maturation process that normal meat does: muscle cells on a live animal are subjected to contractile forces that help the cells grow and develop. Muscle cells grown in vitro do not experience those same contractile forces and consequently produce meat that is soft and lacking in firmness. Electrical stimulation (ES) during the cultivation process can be used to enhance the meat’s firmness and texture and help cultivated meat seem indistinguishable from actual meat. The purpose of our innovation is to make cultivated meat as appealing to the consumer as possible through the use of electrical stimulation.

Figure 1: Process of making lab grown meat (“Scaffolds for the manufacture of cultured meat”)

Technical Description Of The Innovation

Our innovation introduces the technique of electrical stimulation to elicit muscle mass growth in cultivated meat cells. ES is a technique commonly used to elicit muscle contraction using electrical impulses and that technology is used here during the meat cultivating process. The process of meat cultivation begins with the stem cell collection from a live livestock organism by taking a biopsy. The stem cell is then grown in a culture medium that provides nutrients, growth factors and hormones necessary for cell proliferation and differentiation. Typically, this process is followed with the growth of muscle, fat, and connective tissue that ultimately get arranged to build the meat. However, our innovation introduces ES during the culture medium growth step.

ES will be introduced to the culture medium by capacitive coupling, the transfer of electrical signals from one segment of a circuit to the other. This is done to the culture medium by placing two electrodes at opposite ends of the culture medium which allows for a uniform electric field to form. The electrical stimulation of the stem cells will enhance myofiber differentiation and sarcomere development. Different voltages will then be applied on the cultures of different stem cells which will allow for cellular processes such as cell alignment, migration, proliferation and differentiation to occur exponentially (Arshad, et al., 2017).

One of the biggest enhancements that ES will allow is for myofibril development which will improve the cultivated meat’s texture, water holding capacity and sensory quality. All these improvements will allow for greater muscle-mass growth, which is ultimately the main component of regular, edible animal meat. The manipulation of early stem cell differentiation and matrix production will create a more realistic texture and taste quality of the cultivated meat cells which in turn will help the cultivated meat industry fulfill consumer demand for an identical alternative to meat (Chriki, et al., 2022).

Process Of The Innovation / Cost, Materials, And Labor

The cost factors influencing lab-grown meat are an indication of both the economic difficulties related to scaling up production to compete with regular meat supply and the developments in technology. With grocery store markups excluded, the cost of manufacturing a pound of lab-grown meat is now estimated to be between $17 and $23. This is a lot more expensive than ground beef that is raised normally, which usually costs little less than $5 per pound. This difference emphasizes how much less expensive lab-grown beef must become before it can compete in the mainstream market (“Exploring the cost of lab-grown meat: How much does a pound really cost?”).

The process for making electrically stimulated (ES) lab-grown meat is complex. Initially, setting up the ES (Electrical Stimulation) equipment and electrodes will cost around $50,000. Because they are reliable and safe materials for conducting electric currents to the meat cells, these electrodes tend to be made of platinum or stainless steel. Additionally, installing the electrodes, power supply, and control systems for the capacitive coupling gear costs around $70,000. These ingredients are necessary to provide the proper electrical stimulation to improve the texture of the meat.

Large bioreactors are required for large-scale production – this adds $100,000 to the setup costs. The proper pH, temperature, and nutrition are maintained for the meat cells in these bioreactors. The growth medium, a nutrient-rich solution that provides growth hormones, necessary amino acids, and vitamins, will cost approximately $10,000 each cycle. In order to keep the ES system functioning properly, electricity and maintenance will cost roughly $1,000 per cycle. Additional labor costs per cycle of $2,000 become necessary due to the need for qualified personnel to manage the ES process.

Time And Effort Investment

It takes extensive research and development (R&D) to perfect the ES approach to improving the feel of lab grown meat. The initial investment in research and development is approximately $100,000 because tweaking the ES settings requires knowledge and expertise. To get the best meat consistency and quality, a great deal of testing and fine-tuning are required. The ES technique helps to increase the firmness and texture of meat by simulating the natural muscle contractions found in animals.

In order to maintain the ES equipment functioning correctly, there are additional recurring expenses for maintenance and energy. To produce a product that satisfies customer demands regarding smoothness and quality, it is imperative to invest enough effort into improving this procedure. Enhancing the quality of lab-grown meat via ES allows us to sell it as a luxury product, charging $30 per pound instead of the typical $17–$23 for lab-grown meat. It will take a tremendous amount of innovation, precise machinery, and skilled personnel in order to make ES enhanced cultivated meat viable for the market.

Other Innovations

We will discuss three other innovations that can be implemented to improve the quality of cultivated meat. The first of these innovations is scaffolding. A scaffold is a 3D porous structure (see Figure 1 above) which functions as a template for tissue formation. A scaffold is included in the cell growth process in order to provide stability and structure. Starting with cells from a certain type of animal and then seeding those cells into the three-dimensional material of a scaffold will enhance cell proliferation, differentiation, and tissue development in the final product (“Scaffolds for the manufacture of cultured meat. Critical Reviews in Biotechnology”). It is questioned whether the scaffold should be part of the final product and therefore made edible, food-grade, and nutritious, or if it should be designed to be removable. Scaffolding can be very expensive and complex: some are not made of biodegradable materials, while others have a low protein affinity which equates to a weaker binding of nutrients that can be added to the cultivated meat.

The second innovation is the use of probiotics in the production of lab-grown meat. Bacteria can be engineered to produce specific nutrients and growth factors that are required for cell growth and differentiation. Bacteria can be added to cultivated meat, with a specific focus on nutrient production, growth factor synthesis, and antimicrobial protection. Probiotic microorganisms provide various health benefits to the host, including the elimination of microbial pathogens that can cause diseases like (E. coli and Salmonella infections). Since cultured meat is produced in a clean environment, there is no need for antibiotics. Therefore, cellular agriculture may be able to reduce or eventually eliminate the use of antibiotics in the meat industry. Lab-grown meat may still incorporate small doses of antibiotics (“Probiotic cultivated meat: bacterial-based scaffolds and products to improve cultivated meat”).

The final alternative innovation is the process of increasing the nutritional content of cultured meat to meet the demands of the human body. With today’s technology, the cells can be altered and make cultured meat as healthy as possible. Amino acids can be added or taken away, cholesterol can be reduced, and even heart-healthier fats such as omega-3 fats can be included (“Lab-grown meat: How it’s made, sustainability and nutrition”). This outcome has significant health related implications as individuals with certain nutritional deficiencies, such as specific vitamin or amino acid deficiencies, will be able to supplement their nutritional needs while consuming meat. Lab-grown meat can be customized or tailored to meet not only the nutritional expectations and needs of the consumers but also their preferences for what they like.

Why ES Is Better Than The Other Innovations

The aforementioned innovations all have specific advantages that make them viable options when it comes to enhancing the quality and marketability of lab grown meat; despite these advantages, we believe that ES is the better alternative. When it comes to meat consumption, the very first things the consumer notices are the taste and the texture of the meat. We believe that these elements have to be replicated perfectly in order for cultivated to become a widely accepted alternative. We admit that scaffolds do increase the stability of the cultivated muscle cells and thus provide increased texture to the final product. In this regard, scaffolds are the most similar to our innovation. The issue is that the level of stability and structure provided by the scaffold is difficult to adjust and has severe limitations both in terms of cost and execution. On the other hand, for ES, the stability provided to the final product can be easily increased or decreased to produce the desired firmness. Implementing ES in cultivated meat would effectively allow us the ability to create different cuts of meat: ribeye, sirloin, tenderloin, etc. If a consumer prefers a more firm cut of meat, the ES process just needs to be applied for a slightly longer duration. We believe that the other two innovations mentioned, the inclusion of probiotics and the inclusion of additional nutrients, are secondary concerns for the consumer. While these innovations do make cultivated meat more appealing to consumers, they ultimately do not address the fact that currently available cultivated meat is lacking in firmness and texture. If the cultivated meat doesn’t feel the same in the consumer’s mouth as actual meat does, it will be very easy for the consumer to discount it as a satisfactory alternative.

Conclusion

Cultivated meat is a rapidly developing field of science that will revolutionize the way in which we consume meat and the meat industry in general. However, the field is still in its infancy and thus needs the assistance of certain innovations to propel its product to the consumer’s dinner table. One of the major areas of concern is the lack of firmness and structure that cultivated meat products offer. Currently, due to this limitation, the only form of cultivated meat that can be effectively marketed is ground meat. Electrical stimulation will allow cultivated meat to mature and attain the desired level of firmness. Our innovation will give cultivated meat providers the ability to easily produce different cuts of meat in order to satisfy the needs of their consumer base. Ultimately, our innovation will make cultivated meat a nearly perfect replica of actual meat.

References

Arshad, M. S., Javed, M., Sohaib, M., Saeed, F., Imran, A., Amjad, Z., & Yildiz, F. (2017). Tissue engineering approaches to develop cultured meat from cells: A mini review. Cogent Food & Agriculture, 3(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311932.2017.1320814

Bohn, S., & PE, D. U. (n.d.). How to overcome the challenges of cost-effective cultured meat production at scale. Crobgroup.com. Retrieved May 22, 2024, from https://www.crbgroup.com/insights/food-beverage/cultured-meat

Cell Guidance Systems. (2021, October 25). Reducing growth factor costs for cultured meat production. Cellgs.com. https://www.cellgs.com/blog/reducing-growth-factor-costs-for-cultured-meat-production.html

Gal, I. K., Dash, O., & Rak, R. (2023, October 5). Probiotic cultivated meat: Bacterial-based scaffolds and products to improve cultivated meat. Sciencedirect.com. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0167779923002767?fr=RR-2&ref=pdf_download&rr=87c262cdf96e43dc#preview-section-abstract

Hudson, A. O. (2023, June 27). Lab-Grown Meat Techniques Aren’t New, but the Scale Required Will Be. Foodmanufacturing.com. https://www.foodmanufacturing.com/supply-chain/news/22865959/labgrown-meat-techniques-arent-new-but-the-scale-required-will-be

Olenic, M., & Thorrez, L. (2023). Cultured meat production: what we know, what we don’t know and what we should know. Italian Journal of Animal Science, 22(1), 749–753. https://doi-org.ccny-proxy1.libr.ccny.cuny.edu/10.1080/1828051X.2023.2242702

Seah, J. S. H., Singh, S., Tan, L. P., & Choudhury, D. (2022). Scaffolds for the manufacture of cultured meat. Critical Reviews in Biotechnology, 42(2), 311–323. https://doi-org.ccny-proxy1.libr.ccny.cuny.edu/10.1080/07388551.2021.1931803

Sghaier Chriki, Marie-Pierre Ellies-Oury, Jean-François Hocquette, Is “cultured meat” a viable alternative to slaughtering animals and a good compromise between animal welfare and human expectations?, Animal Frontiers, Volume 12, Issue 1, February 2022, Pages 35–42, https://doi.org/10.1093/af/vfac002

Shepherd, B. (2022, September 26). Lab-grown meat: How it’s made, sustainability and nutrition. Livescience.com. https://www.livescience.com/lab-grown-meat#section-is-lab-grown-meat-healthierWagner, R. (2024, January 15). Exploring the Cost of Lab-Grown Meat: How Much Does a Pound Really Cost? Meatcheftools. https://meatcheftools.com/how-much-does-a-pound-of-lab-grown-meat-cost/

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