Aleph Farms has unveiled an upgraded prototype of the first cultivated thin-cut beef steak product designed for mass production and cultivation, a move that could speed cost parity between cultured meat and conventional meat.
In December 2018, the company achieved a world-first by demonstrating it could grow a steak directly from bovine cells. The latest prototype is larger than the original and “embodies the familiar texture, taste, cooking behavior, as well as nutritional qualities of conventional slaughter-based steaks,” according to the press release.
Barriers to market availability
Cultured raised meat products aren’t available on the market yet – in large part due to the high cost of manufacturing -- although the first restaurant that offers applicants a chance to taste cultured chicken recently opened in Israel.
The process uses real animal cells that are grown in a stainless-steel tank known as a bioreactor, resulting in a product that resembles chicken, beef, pork and other meats. One of the most expensive steps is the cost of the growth medium, which stimulates cell growth. Growth medium can cost $400 a liter. One kilogram of cultured meat can require up to 600 liters of growth medium, so costs can add up quickly.
Solutions to speed cost parity
The company has adapted their manufacturing process to fit controlled, automated bioprocesses, which they say will ensure economic viability in large-scale production.
“One of the big challenges of cultivated meat is the ability to produce large quantities efficiently at a cost that can compete with conventional meat industry pricing, without compromising on quality,” Didier Toubia, Co-Founder and CEO of Aleph Farms, said in a statement.
“We have developed five technological building blocks unique to Aleph Farms that are put into a large-scale production process, all patented by the company.”
Aleph Foods announced the new product at the Asia-Pacific Agri-Food Innovation Summit on November 20th in Singapore as part of a virtual cooking demonstration hosted by the company’s resident chef and VisVires New Protein VC.
The pilot launch for releasing cultivated meat commercially is currently planned for the end of 2022.
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