By Hadi Noun
Special thanks to Nabil Jerdak for his contribution.
Ever since the agricultural revolution, technology has provided us with innovative and efficient ways to feed a growing population. With estimations of a world population of 9.8 billion by 2050 [1], concerns over the ability to feed this growing population have increased. One promising solution that has been proposed is cell-based meat, which is an alternative that involves producing meat from cells rather than from the animal itself. This technology will allow the production of high-quality meat to suffice the world population, while using less resources and reducing environmental impact.
The meat industry is one of the major contributors to climate change, and with the current world population growth rate and the increasing dependence on meat, the environmental effects are bound to intensify. As a matter of fact, the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization estimates that around 14.5% of the current global greenhouse gas emissions are due to meat and dairy production [1]. So, what exactly is the correlation between meat and climate change? Let’s find out.
Raising an abundance of livestock requires a vast quantity of feed. Consequently, millions of acres of land have to be plowed for monoculture crop fields that are dedicated solely for feeding the livestock. Not only does the process of converting these natural habitats into agricultural fields release immense carbon pollution, but it also requires mass deforestation in some regions, leading to the loss of biodiversity. And it doesn’t just stop there, because the crop fields are later doused in excess fertilizers, which leads to their runoff into the surrounding water bodies.
Beyond the issues that come with feed sourcing, livestock also contribute to the release of harmful emissions. Because of their ability to digest fibrous materials, livestock tend to belch out (burp) methane gas in the process, which is a lot more dangerous than carbon dioxide over long periods [6]. Another source of harmful emissions is the manure, which releases methane, carbon dioxide, and ammonia upon decomposition.
All the listed environmental effects of the meat industry have led scientists to explore new and innovative ways of producing enough meat for the growing population while taking all the listed concerns into account. This brings us to our main topic of discussion: cell-based meat.
As its name suggests, cell-based meat is a meat alternative that is grown in labs through culturing animal cells in a special medium [2]. What is impressive about this technology is that scientists were able to imitate the exact same texture, taste, and nutritional values of traditional meat. As a general overview, the process includes 3 main stages: extraction, proliferation, and differentiation [7]. Stem cells, which have the unique potential of developing into specialized cell types in the body, are extracted from the animal’s specialized tissues. These cells are then introduced into a culture medium, which contains the necessary substances for the cells to grow rapidly, or proliferate. Now that we have a large amount of stem cells, it is time for them to differentiate into the special types of cells we get in meat, such as muscle or fat. This is done by putting the cells in a bioreactor, which provides them with the required environmental cues (ex: mechanical contractions and electrical stimulation) for them to differentiate.
The current challenges with this technology are the scale-up of production and reduction of costs. In order for cell-based meat to achieve its main purpose of providing high-quality meat in sufficient amounts, it is important to scale up the production and make sure that the final product is affordable for the consumers, otherwise it would be less appealing than conventional meat. Speaking of appeal, another challenge with this technology is the acceptance by the consumer. It’s not an easy task to convince someone to eat lab-grown meat, even if this meat contains the same taste, texture, nutritional value as traditional meat minus the harm and environmental impact.
Cell-based meat is truly a ground-breaking technology that has the potential to take the meat industry by storm, while significantly reducing the impact it has on the environment. Some of the top funded cell-based meat companies have announced their expectations to begin selling their products in 2021 [1], so it’s exciting to see how this new technology unfolds.
References
[1] Cameron, Brianna, and Shannon O’Neill. “State of the Industry Report: Cell-Based Meat.” The Good Food Institute, June 2019. https://www.gfi.org/non-cms-pages/splash-sites/soi-reports/files/SOI-Report-Cell-Based.pdf.
[2] “Cell Based Meat ” Food Standards Australia New Zealand. Accessed February 9, 2021. https://www.foodstandards.gov.au/consumer/generalissues/Pages/Cell-based-meat.aspx
[3] “Cellular Agriculture: Biotechnology for Sustainable Food.” Frontiers. Accessed February 9, 2021. https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/7794/cellular-agriculture-biotechnology-for-sustainable-food.
[4] “Farming Cells, Not Animals.” The Good Food Institute, March 20, 2018. https://www.gfi.org/cellular-agriculture-the-next-agricultural.
[5] Hanson, Jaydee. “Is Lab-Grown Meat Healthy and Safe to Consume?” One Green Planet. One Green Planet, September 2, 2020. https://www.onegreenplanet.org/natural-health/is-lab-grown-meat-healthy-and-safe-to-consume/.
[6] “The Meat Industry – Environmental Issues & Solutions.” Clean Water Action, June 20, 2019. https://www.cleanwateraction.org/features/meat-industry-%E2%80%93-environmental-issues-solutions.
[7] Parkisnon, Avery. “The Science of Cellular Agriculture.” Big Idea Ventures, December 4, 2020. https://bigideaventures.com/the-science-of-cellular-agriculture/.
[8] Saigol, Lina, and Callum Keown. “Is Cell-Based Meat the next Big Thing? Here Are 5 Companies Leading the Revolution.” MarketWatch. MarketWatch, October 8, 2020. https://www.marketwatch.com/story/is-cell-based-meat-the-next-big-thing-here-are-5-companies-leading-the-revolution-2020-10-06.
