New collaboration in cultivated meat and seafood to advance technology

Cultivated meat is an emerging method to produce meat without the slaughter of animals. It involves growing meat directly from animal cells in controlled environments called bioreactors (like those used to produce beer).

“This is a great opportunity for Wageningen University to advance the technology of cultivated meat and is strongly aligned with our ethos and goals as an educational institution”, Prof. Dr. Ir. Wijffels says.

“With the global population expected to soar to 10 billion by 2050, the consequent rise in meat consumption presents a significant challenge of environmental degradation and food scarcity. Cultured meat emerges as a groundbreaking solution, positioned at the forefront of eco-friendly innovation.

This collaboration also symbolizes a crucial synergy between the Netherlands and South Korea. By joining forces to accelerate the commercialization of cultured meat, WUR's expertise and innovation, combined with WHONIZ's ambition, will pave the way for revolutionary changes in the food industry, providing a significant initiative to address environmental and food security challenges”, says Mr. Sun Youb Baek.

Strategic partnership

While some companies allowed to go to market already, this type of product is still far from widespread commercialisation, in part due to several technological challenges which contribute to high production costs. Key challenges include identifying and selecting high-performing and reliable cell lines with optimal growth rates and product yields, as well as the development of low-cost cell cultivation media for cost-effective bioprocess design. Addressing these challenges will be the primary focus of this strategic partnership.

Investment

This initial investment will be used to develop cell lines, design novel cell culture media formulations, develop techno-economic models, and optimise bioprocess design. Data generated in this first phase of the project will be instrumental and serve as a foundation for the subsequent phase which will involve the design and development of a pilot facility.

Cellular Agriculture

The Cellular Agriculture team at BPE is part of a larger initiative to develop the novel technology of cellular agriculture in the Netherlands via the foundation Cellulaire Agricultuur Nederland (CAN). CAN was created by entrepreneurs, scientists, pioneers and gourmets who see cellular agriculture as a way to make our food system more sustainable and let people still enjoy nutritious and qualitative meat and dairy. To meet this objective, CAN has created a growth plan that is financed by the National Growth Fund (NGF), a €60 million investment in projects that contribute as much as possible to sustainable and structural economic growth within the Netherlands.