Lab-Grown Meat Production Costs Could Fall Significantly

Researchers at Tufts University Develop Method for Beef Muscle Cells to Produce Their Own Growth Factors

Researchers at Tufts University have developed a method to create beef muscle cells that produce their own growth factors, which could significantly reduce the cost of producing lab-grown meat.
Growth factors, which are necessary for cell growth and differentiation, traditionally contribute to a majority of the cost of production for cultivated meat.
The new method involves editing native genes rather than adding foreign ones, which could simplify the regulatory approval process.
While the new method significantly reduces costs, further optimization is needed for the food industry, as the research team observed slower growth in the engineered cells.
Products created using this method have already been awarded regulatory approval for consumption in the U.S. and globally, and advances like this could make affordable cultivated meat available in local supermarkets within the next few years.