August 2024 was a fairly quiet month in the cultured meat sector, but we did get some interesting news.

The Cell Base has an interesting article on recent advances in bioreactor technology. Meanwhile, new initiatives like those by Meatosys and Respect Farms in the Netherlands and Germany have introduced technology enabling farmers to produce cultivated meat directly on their farms, leveraging local resources and livestock cells. Collaborative projects between the UK and Switzerland also highlighted international efforts to refine and scale up cultivated meat production technologies.

Among the companies, Gourmey became the first company to apply for EU market access for cultivated meat, a significant regulatory milestone. Mission Barns made headlines with the unveiling of a novel bioreactor designed specifically for cultivating meat and fat. In the seafood sector, Forsea is developing lab-grown eel cells in partnership with Japanese companies, a move seen as a preventive measure against future pandemics by reducing reliance on wild seafood. CytoNest also introduced an edible 3D scaffold that mimics the natural structure of meat, offering scalability and customization options for both cultivated meat and seafood.

On the market and investment front, AgFunder VC announced the closing of its fourth fund at $102 million. This comes at a time when funding for startups in the cultivated meat space has been challenging, yet experts like Dr. David Kaplan from Tufts University remain optimistic about the sector’s long-term viability. Kaplan emphasized the importance of continued investment and innovation, despite current financial difficulties facing many startups.

The legal landscape saw heated debates, especially in Florida, where a ban on cultivated meat has led to legal action from companies like UPSIDE, arguing for the right to distribute their products to consumers. This legal challenge underscores the ongoing tensions between regulatory frameworks and the emerging cultivated meat industry. Additionally, the Japan Association for Cellular Agriculture released a comprehensive report on international safety and regulatory trends, aiming to guide policy development and promote the safe implementation of cultivated foods worldwide.

In research, efforts continue to explore novel methods to enhance cultivated meat production. At Rostock University, researchers are focusing on the use of stem cells from adult pigs to produce cell-based meat without slaughter, representing a significant step towards more ethical meat production. The ongoing research into zoonotic diseases also highlights the potential of cultivated meat to mitigate the risks of future pandemics, aligning with broader public health objectives.

See you next month!

News

Stirring the pot: Bioreactor breakthroughs August 21, 2024
Bioreactors play a crucial role in mimicking the natural conditions essential for cell growth, regulating factors like temperature, pH levels, oxygenation and nutrient supply. In the cultivated meat sector, bioreactors are a relatively new technology. Originally adapted from pharmaceutical and biotech industries, early bioreactors were small-scale and designed for controlled… Read more: Stirring the pot: Bioreactor breakthroughs

Cultivated meat on farms: Meatosys and Respect Farms August 20, 2024
Start-ups in the Netherlands and Germany have developed technology that aims to enable farmers to produce cultivated meat on their land, utilising the abundance of livestock for cells and the primacy of the local approach. While neither company has regulatory approval in the nascent industry, they both aim to help… Read more: Cultivated meat on farms: Meatosys and Respect Farms

Slaughter-free meat hits the grocery shelf August 15, 2024
In the best-case future, cultivated meat will contribute meaningfully to emissions reductions and food security, help end the cruelty of industrial meat farms, and free up land devoted to livestock for biodiversity restoration, carbon sequestration, small farmers and agroecological farming. Governments should use their powers to stimulate these changes. Source:… Read more: Slaughter-free meat hits the grocery shelf

UK-Switzerland collaborations announced for emerging technology projects August 10, 2024
With Innovate UK and Innosuisse support, RTL are excited to partner with The Cultured Hub (TCH) in Kemptthal, Switzerland. TCH is a dedicated cultured meat contract development and manufacturing organisation (CDMO) that provides expertise in process intensification and scale-up. In this project RTL and TCH will work together to realise… Read more: UK-Switzerland collaborations announced for emerging technology projects

Companies and key players

Mission Barns unveils novel bioreactor for cultivated meat, fat August 23, 2024
Founded in 2018 by former Eat Just scientist Dr. Eitan Fischer, San Francisco-based Mission Barns grows cultivated pork fat in proprietary bioreactors it claims can dramatically improve the efficiency of the production process. The fat is then combined with plant-based proteins to create meat alternatives such as sausages and bacon.… Read more: Mission Barns unveils novel bioreactor for cultivated meat, fat

Exclusive interview: RESPECTfarms – the start-up bringing cultivated meat factories to farmers’ fields August 22, 2024
RESPECTfarms’ fully automated plug-and-play system enables farmers to transition to, or integrate, cellular agriculture into their operations. This conversation sheds light on the potential symbiotic relationship between conventional and cultivated meat farming, promising a more sustainable and resilient future for the food industry. Source: Exclusive interview: RESPECTfarms – the start-up… Read more: Exclusive interview: RESPECTfarms – the start-up bringing cultivated meat factories to farmers’ fields

Seafood cultivated in a lab could help mitigate the next pandemic August 16, 2024
An Israeli food tech startup, Forsea, is working with Japanese partners to develop artificially grown eel cells, intended to yield edible unagi eventually. Experts hope mass-produced cultivated meat and seafood can help prevent the next pandemic. Source: Seafood cultivated in a lab could help mitigate the next pandemic – The… Read more: Seafood cultivated in a lab could help mitigate the next pandemic

CytoNest Unveils Edible 3D Scaffold for Cultivated Meat & Seafood August 14, 2024
According to CytoNest, the scaffold mimics the natural structure of meat, the extracellular matrix (ECM), and allows for nutrient flow, a feature crucial for industrial-scale production. It supports cells’ growth three-dimensionally in high densities, making it scalable for cultivated meat and seafood production. Moreover, it’s customizable, and its production is… Read more: CytoNest Unveils Edible 3D Scaffold for Cultivated Meat & Seafood

Pink blob to perfect steak: Lab-grown meat gets ‘grilled beef flavor’ August 13, 2024
The researchers added a special flavor compound into a gelatin-based hydrogel, creating a functional scaffold. This compound stays in the scaffold until it is heated to 150 degrees Celsius (302 degrees Fahrenheit). When heated, it “switches on” and releases meaty flavors, simulating the Maillard reaction. Source: Pink blob to perfect… Read more: Pink blob to perfect steak: Lab-grown meat gets ‘grilled beef flavor’

France’s Gourmey submits first EU application for cultivated meat August 8, 2024
French food startup Gourmey has become the first company to apply for EU market access for cultivated or “lab-grown” meat, after it submitted an application for a cell-based duck product to the European Commission on Thursday. Source: France’s Gourmey submits first EU application for cultivated meat – POLITICO

Umami Bioworks Looks to India to Scale Up Cultivated Seafood August 2, 2024
Months after its merger with Shiok Meats, Umami Bioworks is looking to advance the scale-up efforts for its cultivated seafood through two collaborations with organisations in India. The Singapore-based startup has teamed up with the IKP Knowledge Park’s newly established Centre for Smart Protein and Sustainable Material Innovation in Bengaluru,… Read more

Market, investment, prospective

AgFunder VC closes Fund IV oversubscribed on $102m, reveals deep tech portfolio focus August 6, 2024
AgFunder VC, the global deep tech venture capital firm investing in startups that can positively impact food and agriculture, and accelerate human progress, has closed its fourth early-stage fund on $102 million, surpassing its target. Source: AgFunder VC closes Fund IV oversubscribed on $102m, reveals deep tech portfolio focus –… Read more: AgFunder VC closes Fund IV oversubscribed on $102m, reveals deep tech portfolio focus

Tufts professor has ‘zero worries’ about viability of cultivated meat August 1, 2024
Speaking to AgFunderNews after announcing “unprecedented” funding to hire five new faculty members to work on cultivated meat at a time when funding to startups in the space has sharply deteriorated, Tufts University Center for Cellular Agriculture (TUCCA) director Dr. David Kaplan said he remained optimistic about the long-term prospects… Read more

Laws, ethics and lobbies

Florida sued over cultivated meat ban August 19, 2024
“UPSIDE doesn’t want to force anyone to eat cultivated meat,” the company’s lawsuit states. “But it does want the opportunity to distribute its product to willing consumers, so that those consumers can decide for themselves whether UPSIDE’s product is worth eating. And UPSIDE has a right to do so, because… Read more: Florida sued over cultivated meat ban

Japan Association for Cellular Agriculture Unveils Comprehensive Report on International Trends in Safety and Regulatory Assessment of Cultivated Food August 11, 2024
The Japan Association for Cellular Agriculture (JACA), a leading non-profit think tank in Japan dedicated to creating policy recommendations and industrial guidelines for the social implementation of cultivated food, is excited to announce the release of an insightful new report on the international safety assessment and regulatory trends of cultivated… Read more

Research

Preventing the next pandemic – Zoonotic diseases and how to break the chain of transmission August 26, 2024
In this time of crisis, thousands of papers and guidelines have already been published about COVID-19. Most of these consider the important questions of how to respond to the ongoing public health crisis, or how to mitigate the impacts of the pandemic. This report takes a step back and considers the… Read more: Preventing the next pandemic – Zoonotic diseases and how to break the chain of transmission

Rostock University Explores Use of Stem Cells for Meat Cultivation with Help from Innocent Meat August 17, 2024
The research project entitled MOSTIME “Modern stimulation methods for the differentiation of adult stem cells into functional tissue for the production of cell-based meat products for the food sector” specialises in the development of meat products in which stem cells are taken from adult pigs without slaughtering them. Source: Rostock… Read more