Scottish researchers advance tech for growing meat in a laboratory
Technology to grow meat in a laboratory has entered the next stage of testing in more than 10 sites around the world after successfully completing proof of concept in Scotland.
The new approach to generating pig cell lines for cultivated meat has been developed by Roslin Technologies and the University of Edinburgh with support from the Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre (IBioIC). Researchers say it could overcome a critical bottleneck in the commercial production of laboratory-grown meat, which has been a lack of cost-effective ways of growing cells at large scale.
Demand for protein alternatives to slaughtered meat has grown considerably in recent years amid concerns about the sustainability of traditional farming. Although a nascent industry, research from McKinsey & Company has predicted the market for cultivated meat products will reach more than £21 billion by 2030.
“While there is still further to go to meet parity with the economics of livestock products, we are taking steps to get there by addressing the production challenges facing the cultivated meat sector,” said Karen Fairlie-Clarke, engagement manager at Roslin Technologies.
“Once the ability to scale has been proven, the next stage is product development and validation before further refining the media to be food grade.”
By Kirsty Dorsey / The Herald
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