The need for innovative and sustainable protein production is becoming more and more urgent. The global demand for animal protein continues to rise as climate change threatens global food security, while traditional livestock production is pushed to its limits due to resource constraints and environmental impact.

Cultivated meat - animal meat produced through cultivating animal cells directly - is well-positioned to address these challenges, but in the past has faced cost and scalability barriers. Along the supply chain, from production to commercialisation, the cost of cultivated meat is priced much higher than conventional meat, which is one major barrier standing in the way of mainstream adoption.

The team behind the research - Professor Yaakov Nahmias, a pioneer in cellular agriculture and founder of cultivated meat company Believer Meats, and researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem - may have cracked the price parity code by introducing a cost-effective, continuous manufacturing method for cultivated meat production using tangential flow filtration (TFF) and an animal-free culture media.

Cultivated chicken could reduce land and water use by around 80%

The study, published in Nature Food, marks the first successful demonstration of a scalable and cost-effective method for producing cultivated meat.

This innovation could change the way cultivated meat is produced and marketed, making it available to everyday consumers and moving it beyond the niche and into the mainstream.

Fi Global Insights sat down with Nahmias, who discussed the potential environmental impact of continuous production compared to traditional livestock farming. Nahmias explained that while carbon emissions for conventional chicken are relatively low, he believes water use is the most important parameter to optimise when it comes to chicken. “There have been several life cycle analyses published on theoretical production of cultivated chicken showing >80% reduction in land and water use,” he added.

Continuous manufacturing process allows for higher biomass yields

Major hurdles have hindered the commercial viability of cultivated meat, namely scalability and cost. The team, utilising the process of continuous manufacturing via TFF technology, allowed for the cultivation of chicken cells within the bioreactor to reach a density of 130 billion cells per litre. This density enabled the team to achieve 43% weight per volume yields, significantly reducing the production costs and complexities associated with cultivated meat. 

Traditional cultivated meat production methods involve batch production. In this process, animal cells are grown in large quantities within a bioreactor for a set time. When the batch has reached a specific point of growth the entire process is stopped, and the cells are harvested. Between each batch cycle, the bioreactor needs to be cleaned and re-prepared, resulting in a significant amount of downtime.

Continuous production, in comparison, does not need as much downtime as it uses TFF - a method that keeps the process running without interruption.

TFF allows the liquid within the bioreactor to flow tangentially (sideways) along the surface of the filter. A sideway flow stops cells from building up on the filter’s surface while enabling waste to be separated and ensuring the system does not get blocked.

In this study, TFF technology was used within the bioreactor to keep chicken cells in continuous growth for up to 20 days. The bioreactor was able to maintain a high concentration of chicken cells, while simultaneously and continually filtering out waste products.

Utilising TFF technology enabled the researchers to keep the production process running, leading to higher yields of cultivated meat with fewer interruptions, lower costs, and more stable long-term growth conditions.

Nahmias, speaking about the implications of the study in a press release, said: "We were inspired by how Ford’s automated assembly line revolutionised the car industry 110 years ago.

“Our findings show that continuous manufacturing enables cultivated meat production at a fraction of current costs, without resorting to genetic modification or mega-factories. This technology brings us closer to making cultivated meat a viable and sustainable alternative to traditional animal farming.”

When asked by Fi Global Insights whether any limitations in the TFF process could hinder continuous production beyond 20 days, Nahmias explained that all filter systems needed maintenance and cleaning, so the process should, realistically, not extend beyond 90 days. “Operationally, it makes more sense to run it on a monthly cycle, so operations can ensure consistency and safety,” he added. 

Cost-cutting benefits

Alongside TFF technology, another major innovation of the study was the use of an animal-free culture medium, priced at $0.63 per litre. A culture medium is a solution used to grow and maintain cells in a laboratory setting. By providing essential nutrients, vitamins, minerals, and growth factors, the medium gives the cells the resources they need to multiply.

Traditional cultivated meat production has relied on foetal bovine serum (FBS), a costly and controversial ingredient, as it is collected from the blood of unborn calves.

By replacing FBS with an animal-free medium, the study drastically lowered raw material costs, which according to the press release “could significantly reduce the cost and complexity of cultivated meat production, potentially bringing it closer to everyday consumers.”

Together with the constant removal of waste, the TFF system continuously introduces the animal-free culture medium into the bioreactor, enabling nutrients to be replenished and meat cells to be produced without stopping, thus boosting efficiency.

Path to price parity with conventional meat

The team modelled a hypothetical 50,000-litre production facility, which according to their calculations could produce 2.14 million kilograms of cultivated chicken annually. Theoretically, this means cultivated chicken could be produced at $6.20 per pound, which is comparable to the price of USDA organic chicken.

Producing cultivated meat at this price point makes it a competitive option for consumers, addressing one of the major barriers to its widespread adoption. For comparison, plant-based meats remain 2-4 times more expensive than conventional meats, limiting their market share.

The future cost of meat

According to the Good Food Institute’s report Reducing the price of alternative proteins, cultivated meat can become cost-competitive with some conventional meat products by 2030. GFI conducted a techno-economic assessment in 2021, finding that further advancements in production could drive the production cost of cultivated meat down to $2.92 per pound by 2030.

While the Hebrew University study demonstrated that cultivated meat has the potential to be priced competitively with conventional meat, another barrier is consumer scepticism, particularly around taste and texture. Nahmias told Fi Global Insights that the aroma and flavour of grilled meat are critical aspects of our experience. “This is where cultivated meat shines, as animal cells produce the key fats needed for the oxidation reactions we like so much,” he explained.

Next steps for Believer Meats

Given the results of this study, cultivated meat reaching cost parity with conventional meat on a broader, global scale could be on the horizon.

The main focus for Nahmias, and his company Believer Meats is to complete the construction and commissioning of a cultivated meat plant in North Carolina, the “world’s first” according to Nahmias. “This is going to be a watershed moment for the industry. Once that validation is behind us, capital investment would bring this empirical vision to the broader, global scale,” he said.