Boston – While the cultivated meat category continues to evolve, manufacturers and investors look at new and unexpected possibilities in the segment to cause growth, according to speakers on the third annual Cellular Agriculture Innovation Day from Tuftts University.
A recent shift in the industry has been to turn away from whole cut applications. Such products have been a focus for innovators, but difficulties with media supply and edible scaffolding have led some manufacturers to focus their attention elsewhere.
“I think companies now realize that it will be a longer period of time before we reach this perfect texture whole cut,” said Naya McCartney, PhD, a scientist in regulating safety with the vow -based vowed. “Being a bit creative and finding other alternative income while perfecting that technology is something that I see many companies doing, and I am really enthusiastic because I think this will help us get through this learning period. “
Steve Simitzis, partner in the soluble syndicate of the Food Technology Startup Investor Syndicate, identified alternative areas of interest, such as working with meat processors to make applications that use both traditional and cultivated meat.
“I think that meat producers will eventually be the customer of this, and that is where we can see approaches such as bringing in or mixing ground meat, for example in existing supply chains,” he said. “Let’s get it in fast food, maybe 1% or 2% fast food to start with. That would be enormously impactful if we could just do that, instead of trying to force consumers to buy a brand of cultivated steaks. “
Simitzis also pointed to the food market for pets as a different category where blended opportunities can exist.
“I think there is many opportunities (in food for pets) to collaborate with existing brands to get ingredients in their supply chain,” Simitzis said. “Now you have to be careful because pets owners are actually a little more risk than people who eat food for themselves. There is always that fear of: “What if my pet gets sick and they can’t talk about it?”
“So, you know, that is an area where perhaps some conservatism is, and that is where some of the existing manufacturers of pets can help food.”
Differentiated cell cultures are another area where cultivated meat makers see that there can be openings for innovation. For example, VOW has experimented with 200 different cell types to investigate which non-standard cultures are easier to produce and which can lead to better-tasting products.
“We have had so many years with the development of pork, beef, and we did that because it is easiest to do farms,” said McCartney. “That does not mean that it is the tastiest cells or in this way the easiest to grow … I think the first principle is how we use diversity that we cannot use in agriculture for cell farm construction? I think that if you look at it that way, that gives us such a wide range. “
Co-culture can also make possible for improvements in taste, said McCartney, pointing to examples such as co-cultivating fat with muscles to develop a better meat-making profile. Co-culture for different species is also a possibility to create unique and exotic taste profiles. McCartney said that VOW developed a co-grown line of cultivated meat from crocodile and quail that was well received by the company’s food service customers.