June 28, 2021

Alternative Protein Sources: Cultivated Meat

Cultivated meat is often placed in a markedly separate box to insect protein. Combine these two alternative protein sources with plant-based production, and these make up the three main methods aiming to take a bite out of the traditional protein market.

At Future Food-Tech Alternative Proteins, held online over two days in June, these three fast-growing industries were placed side-by-side to show how similar they were; their potential for growth, their innovative nature, and how they can be combined for a more sustainable protein-rich future.

Alternative proteins need to be accessible to the world – and the combination of all these production methods will allow cost to be kept in check, whilst taste and offerings are not compromised.

Cultivated meat

The cultivated meat industry is picking up pace. In 2020, it received more than $300 million in investment, which has already been topped in 2021. Much like the plant-based industry, new companies are constantly starting, making it a hugely innovative and exciting field of work.

For cultivated meat, there are various ways to produce end products. At Roslin Tech, we specialise in induced pluripotent stem cell lines – iPS cells are immortal, durable, and can differentiate into any type of cell in the body, making them ideal choices for cultivated meat production. Other types of cells such as primary and mesenchymal cells are used by many in the industry, however there are drawbacks to using them in full production

Our Chief Scientific Officer, Professor Jacqui Matthews, spoke at the Future Food-Tech conference on the characteristics of cell lines needed by the industry to promote scale up for end user goods. Listen again to her talk below.

Future for alternative proteins?

Alternative proteins are becoming more common amongst the backdrop of growing consumer demand for alternatives to traditional protein production. Investment is growing and larger consumer-focused companies are also starting to become involved in the rapidly growing industries.

For Roslin Tech, we are excited to see how the alternative protein industry grows. There is global interest and need for greater sustainability in our food chains, and we are pleased to play our part in the alternative protein transformation.

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Roslin Technologies Limited
Roslin Technologies Limited
Roslin Innovation Centre, Easter Bush Campus
University of Edinburgh, Midlothian
EH25 9RG, United Kingdom
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