Starter Cells for Cultured Meat

The first stage in producing cultured meat is choosing the right starter cells. To produce something identical to conventional meat, the cells that produce muscle, fat, and connective tissue are all necessary. Simply using developed muscle cells extracted from animals is not suitable for cultured meat, as these cells proliferate very slowly. In contrast, stem cells divide rapidly and can differentiate into any other type of cell. However, there are ethical issues associated with their use, culturing protocols for common meat animals have generally not been established, and directed differentiation is complex. In this premium article, IDTechEx explores the types of starter cells being used by the industry to grow muscle and fat cells.