Cell-Based Meat Production via Sterile Culture
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional meat production methods face challenges in meeting future demand due to increased microbial contamination, hormone and antibiotic residues, environmental impact, and limited customization options for cell-based meat products in terms of nutrient profiles, texture, and shelf life.
Innovation Solution
The development of methods and compositions for producing slaughter-free cell-based meat products through cell culture techniques, using fibroblasts, myoblasts, and other mesodermal cells in suspension or adherent cultures, with media free from animal-derived components, to create meat products with extended shelf life and reduced microbial contamination.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional meat production methods are used, then meat supply is sufficient for current demand, but microbial contamination levels increase and shelf life decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the harmful element (animal slaughter and associated contamination) from the meat production system by using cell culture technology to grow meat cells in controlled laboratory conditions, eliminating the need for traditional slaughterhouse environments where microbial contamination occurs
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a sterile, controlled culture environment for cell growth that acts as an inert atmosphere free from microbial contamination, allowing meat cells to be produced without exposure to pathogens present in conventional production systems
2Reliability
If conventional meat production is used, then meat is available for consumption, but exposure to hormones and antibiotics increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes hormones and antibiotics from the meat production process by using cell culture technology that grows cells in controlled media without these substances, eliminating their presence in the final product while maintaining meat availability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the production parameters from traditional animal farming (which requires hormones and antibiotics) to cell culture conditions (which use controlled nutrient media), fundamentally altering the chemical environment in which meat is produced
3Duration of action of stationary object
If cell-based meat production is adopted, then microbial contamination is reduced and shelf life is extended, but production complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the meat production process into distinct phases (cell culture, tissue formation, harvesting) that can be independently controlled and optimized, managing complexity through modular processing steps rather than attempting to solve the entire problem at once
4Productivity
If conventional meat production is used, then production volume is high, but environmental impact increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the environmentally harmful aspects (greenhouse gas emissions, land usage, water consumption) from meat production by replacing animal farming with cell culture technology, maintaining productivity while eliminating the ecological footprint of traditional livestock raising
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure provides methods and compositions useful for the production of slaughter-free meat products, and the characterizations of the same. The slaughter-free meat products contain several points of distinction when compared to conventional meat procured by harvesting the tissue of a dead animal. Such points of distinction include, but are not limited to, significantly reduced or substantially no: steroid hormones, antibiotics, or microbial contamination; lower fat content; no vasculature; and extended shelf life both at room temperature and when refrigerated.