Advances in Cultured Meat Technology

With the global population estimated to reach 9 billion by 2050, agricultural production must align with this growth to alleviate any further burden on our current food systems. More sustainable and alternative modes of production are required to ensure that this overburden doesn’t occur and that the food security of millions isn’t compromised in the process.

Advances in cultured meat technology reviews the growing interest and emergence in the field of cellular agriculture as one possible solution to achieving this. The book reviews the major technologies used in cultured meat product development, including cell line sourcing, cell growth media, bioreactors for cell multiplication and tissue engineering using scaffolds. The need to establish regulatory frameworks to permit the creation and trade of this new type of product is also highlighted, as is the key issue of consumer acceptance of this new technology.

In its comprehensive exploration of the recent advances in cultured meat, the book showcases the potential of cultured meat production in alleviating the burden on our food systems, as well as some of the welfare and sustainability issues that arise during traditional livestock production.

• Considers the potential benefits and challenges of cultured meat production, including the need to scale the current technology up at an affordable cost to produce nutritious and affordable products
• Addresses the key quality and sustainability issues of cultured meat production, highlighting consumer attitudes and how further education is required to increase consumer acceptance of cultured meat products
• Reviews the major technologies used in cultured meat product development, such as cell line sourcing, cell growth media and tissue engineering using scaffolds

With the global population estimated to reach 9 billion by 2050, agricultural production must align with this growth to alleviate any further burden on our current food systems. More sustainable and alternative modes of production are required to ensure that this overburden doesn’t occur and that the food security of millions isn’t compromised in the process.

Advances in cultured meat technology reviews the growing interest and emergence in the field of cellular agriculture as one possible solution to achieving this. The book reviews the major technologies used in cultured meat product development, including cell line sourcing, cell growth media, bioreactors for cell multiplication and tissue engineering using scaffolds. The need to establish regulatory frameworks to permit the creation and trade of this new type of product is also highlighted, as is the key issue of consumer acceptance of this new technology.

In its comprehensive exploration of the recent advances in cultured meat, the book showcases the potential of cultured meat production in alleviating the burden on our food systems, as well as some of the welfare and sustainability issues that arise during traditional livestock production.

Edited by a world-renowned team of experts in the field, including the pioneer of cultured meat, Advances in cultured meat technology will be a standard reference for researchers in agricultural, environmental and social science, government and other private sector agencies responsible for the establishment of regulatory frameworks that permit the production and trade of food items, as well as pharmacologists involved in the study of cells and animal tissues.

Dr Mark Post is Professor of Sustainable Industrial Tissue Engineering in the Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences at Maastricht University, The Netherlands. Professor Post is internationally renowned for his research in developing biomaterials for arterial grafting and the diagnosis of neovascularization. He is also widely regarded as a pioneer in cultured meat technology, producing the world’s first cultured meat hamburger in 2013. He co-founded the company MosaMeat to develop cultured meat products on a commercial scale.

Dr Che Connon is Professor of Tissue Engineering and FMS Director of Business Development at Newcastle University, UK. Professor Connon is widely recognised for his pioneering research in tissue engineering in such areas as the use of peptide/polymer gels in regenerative medicine and ‘super tissue engineering’ to develop biomaterials with a range of functions, including use in developing lab-grown meat. He has also won a number of awards for the successful commercialisation of his research.

Dr Chris Bryant is an Honorary Research Associate at the University of Bath, UK. With a background in psychology, he is particularly known for his research on understanding consumer attitudes to and acceptance of cultured meat products as well as broader attitudes to animal farming, welfare, vegetarianism and veganism. He has presented widely at conferences and given interviews to the BBC, national newspapers and other media outlets.