MeaTech to open cultured chicken pilot plant in 2022

MeaTech has announced plans to establish, own and operate a pilot plant designed to scale up cultured chicken fat production by 2022.

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KarinaKnyspel | iStockPhoto.com;
KarinaKnyspel | iStockPhoto.com;
MeaTech  has announced plans to establish, own and operate a pilot plant designed to scale up  cultured chicken  fat production by 2022.
 
"A key challenge facing the cultured meat industry is cost-efficient production. We believe that establishing this pilot plant facility and scaling up our cellular agriculture technologies will be a significant step forward toward achieving cost parity with conventional meat as well as realizing MeaTech's vision for the 'Factory of the Future' – comprising the inputs, processes and equipment underlying a flexible cultured meat manufacturing facility,” said Sharon Fima, CEO of MeaTech.
 

Enhanced flavor, mouthfeel and texture

MeaTech plans to deploy cultured chicken fat as both a stand-alone lab-grown meat and as an enhancement to plant-based proteins. The addition of cultured chicken fat to plant-based proteins could help improve the  flavor, mouthfeel and texture  of these products, resulting in a hybrid that is meatier.
 
Advocates of cultured meat say that the process is more efficient, flexible and consistent than traditional agriculture and there is a  growing interest in and openness in trying  cultured meat among consumers. Cultured meat is made with real animal cells that are grown with the help of a culture medium in a  stainless-steel tank known as a bioreactor
 

A model for larger scale production facilities

The pilot plant, located in Belgium, will deploy cultured chicken fat manufacturing technologies developed by MeaTech subsidiary,  Peace of Meat.  The facility will be used to demonstrate the process for B2B customers interested in cellular agriculture manufacturing capabilities.
 
"Setting up a pilot plant to produce Peace of Meat's cultured chicken fat at scale will be a significant milestone. With it, we believe we can demonstrate a fully functional production process to B2B customers looking to include cultured ingredients in their products. We believe the pilot plant can be a model for larger scale future production facilities,” Dirk von Heinrichshorst, CEO and Co-Founder of Peace of Meat, explained.
 
MeaTech plans to incorporate  3D bioprinting technologies  into the plant for use in cultured meat production at a future date.
 
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