Growth Media for Cultured Meat

In November 2022, the industry received a major boost when the FDA approved the pre-market application of a cultured meat product from Upside Foods in the United States. This significant step signals the beginning of the industry's transition from prototyping towards commercial consumer products. Yet, a big drawback of cultured meat remains its enormous cost. That cost is largely thanks to the cost of the growth medium, the liquid in which cells grow. Current growth media is well suited for applications in pharmaceutical and biotech industries where quantity is limited, but for cultured meat at commercial scale, much more will be required. In this premium article, IDTechEx discusses the technical challenges around growth media, the growth factors and other components within media, how we can drive down the cost of media production, and the innovative approaches being taken by players in the industry to tackle this critical challenge.