A review: analysis of technical challenges in cultured meat production and its commercialization

Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2024 Feb 22:1-18. doi: 10.1080/10408398.2024.2315447. Online ahead of print.

Abstract

The cultured meat technology has developed rapidly in recent years, but there are still many technical challenges that hinder the large-scale production and commercialization of cultured meat. Firstly, it is necessary to lay the foundation for cultured meat production by obtaining seed cells and maintaining stable cell functions. Next, technologies such as bioreactors are used to expand the scale of cell culture, and three-dimensional culture technologies such as scaffold culture or 3D printing are used to construct the three-dimensional structure of cultured meat. At the same time, it can reduce production costs by developing serum-free medium suitable for cultured meat. Finally, the edible quality of cultured meat is improved by evaluating food safety and sensory flavor, and combining ethical and consumer acceptability issues. Therefore, this review fully demonstrates the current development status and existing technical challenges of the cultured meat production technology with regard to the key points described above, in order to provide research ideas for the industrial production of cultured meat.

Keywords: cultured meat; edible quality; seed cell; serum-free medium; three-dimensional structure; upscaling culture.

Publication types

  • Review