Preliminary Techno-Economic Assessment of Animal Cell-Based Meat

Abstract

Interest in animal cell-based meat (ACBM) or laboratory-grown meat has been increasing; however, the economic viability of these potential products has not been thoroughly vetted. Recent studies suggest monoclonal antibody production technology can be adapted for the industrialization of ACBM production. This study provides a scenario-based assessment of the projected cost per kilogram of ACBM produced in the United States based on cellular metabolic requirements and process/chemical engineering conventions. A sensitivity analysis of the model identified the nine most influential cost factors for ACBM production out of 67 initial parameters. The results indicate that technological performance will need to approach technical limits for ACBM to achieve profitably as a commodity. However, the model also suggests that low-volume high-value specialty products could be viable based on current technology.

How Cellular Agriculture Systems Can Promote Food Security

“…Cellular agriculture does not yet produce a significant amount of food, and there remains uncertainty on what amount of food could be possible to produce. Recent techno-economic analyses of cultured meat production have estimated different potential costs per kilogram ranging by several orders of magnitude (Humbird, 2020;Risner et al, 2021;Vergeer et al, 2021;Zhang and Dullaghan, 2021). Animal cell cultures also have several technical challenges and biological limits that affect the maximum possible cell density and bioreactor size.…”

“…Animal cell cultures also have several technical challenges and biological limits that affect the maximum possible cell density and bioreactor size. This may limit the amount of food it is feasible to produce from animal cell cultures, and therefore the extent to which cultured meat may contribute to food supply (Humbird, 2020;Risner et al, 2021;Vergeer et al, 2021). Several microbial cell culture technologies, however, have been previously scaled to extremely large production volumes (e.g., fuel ethanol, baker's yeast, lysine for animal feed, wastewater treatment) (Humbird, 2020).…”

“…It remains to be seen if prices of cultured meat can become economically comparable to conventional meat; many of the cost estimates for cultured meat would leave these products out of reach for consumers. To make cultured meat economically comparable to conventional meat, it is predicted that there will need to be significant technological improvements including more efficient use of media by cells, cost reductions in media ingredients, reduced capital costs, increased maximum cell density and volume, and reduced production run time (Humbird, 2020;Risner et al, 2021;Vergeer et al, 2021;Zhang and Dullaghan, 2021). Research on the accessibility of precision fermentation products is again limited.…”

Simple and effective serum-free medium for sustained expansion of bovine satellite cells for cell cultured meat

“…At the same time, cultured meat could improve animal welfare, food security, and human health outcomes [4][5][6] . The challenges that face the successful technological transition of cultured meat to the marketplace stem from the need for production systems that are low-cost, scalable, food-safe, and free of animal-derived inputs 4,7,8 . Here, cell culture media is a particularly problematic hurdle for several reasons.…”

“…Here, cell culture media is a particularly problematic hurdle for several reasons. First, cell culture media comprises the majority (>99%) of the cost of current production systems [7][8][9] . Second, the culture of meat-relevant cells (e.g., bovine satellite cells) has traditionally relied on fetal bovine serum (FBS), a notoriously expensive, unsustainable, and inconsistent component, which is inherently antithetical to the aims of cultured meat 4 .…”