The development of a serum-free media formulation for cultured meat production

Cultured meat production has enormous potential to supplement the global protein supply. However, it has yet to become a consumer product due to high production costs, which are mainly attributed to the cell growth media. We intend to develop a cheap and effective culture media for the growth of animal cells for cultured meat applications. Many traditional cell growth medias rely on supplementation with foetal bovine serum. The key to reducing the cost of current serum-free media formulations is the production of low-cost growth factors – complex biomolecules that support robust cell growth in culture. To that end, we have designed an inexpensive and effective method of growth factor production, which will allow us to produce a low-cost growth medium. This research will significantly impact the potential for industrial-level cultured meat production by reducing the environmental, ethical, and financial strain of current production methods which rely on animal-derived serum.

Faculty Supervisor:

Andrew Simmonds

Student:

Matthew Anderson-Baron

Partner:

Future Fields

Discipline:

Biology

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

University of Alberta