LONDON: BSF, a biotech company that owns two tissue engineering companies, 3D Bio-Tissues and Kerato, has announced a joint venture with CellulaRevolution, a leader in continuous cell manufacturing, to form a new Foodtech company called Cultivated Meat Technologies (CMT).

CMT aims to develop and offer an end-to-end solution for producing cultivated meat at scale, using the combined expertise and technology of both partners.

Cultivated meat, also known as lab-grown or cell-based meat, is a form of alternative protein that is produced by growing animal cells in a controlled environment, without the need for slaughtering animals. This has the potential to reduce the environmental impact, ethical issues and health risks associated with conventional meat production.

However, one of the main challenges facing the cultivated meat industry is scaling up the production process to meet the growing demand and reduce the cost of the product. CMT intends to address this challenge by developing a harmonised technology offering that can facilitate faster, cheaper and more sustainable production of muscle cells and meat tissue. CMT will also seek to establish licencing agreements with established meat-producers and strategic partnerships with local distributors and retailers to ensure efficient distribution and market penetration.

The joint venture will initially focus on developing the processes and technology necessary to showcase meat fillets manufactured in a scalable manner that can translate into a mass production facility. CMT will also work on securing key partnerships to assist with the production of the cultured meat feedstock and supply of product into the existing supply chain. CMT expects to provide a further update on its development and strategy in Q1 2024.

Chris Green, CEO of CellRev, said that cultivated meat is at the cutting edge of alternative protein production, but it requires true collaboration and open innovation to overcome the scale-up and cost challenges. He expressed his interest in working with 3D Bio-Tissues, which has already achieved early success in the field. Che Connon, Managing Director of BSF, said that the joint venture with CellRev will combine technological expertise, manufacturing capability and capital allocation to begin producing environmentally sustainable and high-quality meat products for the wholesale market.

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