Pipe-Based Bioreactor Layout for Uniform Cultivated Meat Growth
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for cultivating cell-based meat products face challenges such as slow cellular growth, lack of cellular tissue mass, high costs, and inefficiencies in flow rates, distribution, and heat and mass transfer during cultivation processes, particularly when scaled up for increased production.
Innovation Solution
The use of pipe-based bioreactors with substrates conforming to an elongated cylindrical enclosure allows for independent cleaning, seeding, and harvesting of cells, enabling improved flow control, increased yield, and reduced accumulation of condensation and gas bubbles through angled inlets and outlets, and interconnected systems for shared resources.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If existing cultivation methods are used to produce cell-based meat products, then the process can be performed with conventional equipment, but the cellular growth is slow and the production time is excessive (eleven or more days to form a thin layer)
Solution Approach 1:
The bioreactor is segmented into multiple chambers separated by partitions, each chamber containing substrates for cell cultivation. This segmentation allows for optimized flow distribution across multiple zones simultaneously, increasing overall cellular growth rate without requiring a single oversized reactor that would have poor flow dynamics.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses a fluid delivery system with multiple inlets and outlets to create controlled fluid flow through the bioreactor chambers. The flow rates are optimized to enhance mass transfer and nutrient distribution to cells, significantly accelerating cellular growth compared to conventional static or poorly-flowing systems.
2Productivity
If the number and size of bioreactors is increased to compensate for slow growth, then more cell-based meat product can be produced, but the equipment complexity and supply costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple bioreactor chambers are merged into a single integrated system with shared fluid delivery infrastructure. The partitions create separate cultivation zones while the common fluid delivery system reduces the number of external pumps, control systems, and support equipment needed, thereby reducing overall complexity and cost while maintaining high total production capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The fluid delivery system is designed to serve multiple chambers simultaneously with a single set of control mechanisms. The system can adjust flow rates to different chambers independently while using a unified pump and control unit, making the equipment more versatile and reducing redundancy.
3Productivity
If conventional bioreactors are used, then the equipment is simpler in design, but the flow rates and flow distribution are limited which restricts production efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The bioreactor incorporates adjustable flow rates and dynamic control of fluid delivery to multiple chambers. The system can adapt flow distribution in real-time based on cultivation needs, enhancing production efficiency through optimized mass transfer while maintaining a manageable design through modular control.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from single-chamber conventional designs to a multi-chamber three-dimensional configuration with vertical or horizontal stacking options. This dimensional expansion increases total cultivation surface area and improves flow distribution patterns without requiring a single excessively large reactor with poor hydrodynamics.
4Productivity
If existing bioreactor systems are upscaled for increased production, then more product can be manufactured, but the heat and mass transfer during cultivation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The large-scale production need is met by segmenting the system into multiple smaller chambers rather than using one large reactor. Each chamber maintains favorable surface-area-to-volume ratios for efficient heat and mass transfer, while the collective capacity of all chambers achieves the desired large-scale production output.
Solution Approach 2:
The fluid delivery system acts as an intermediary that distributes nutrients and removes waste products efficiently across all chambers. The controlled flow rates ensure optimal mass transfer to cells in each chamber, while the fluid circulation also facilitates heat distribution and removal, maintaining thermal balance across the entire scaled-up system.
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to systems, apparatuses, and methods for preparing cell-based meat products (i.e., comestible meat products). In particular, a pipe-based bioreactor is disclosed having one or more substrates disposed therein. In one or more embodiments, the one or more substrates comprise a plurality of nominally spaced substrates conforming to an interior profile of an elongated enclosure of the pipe-based bioreactor. In some embodiments, multiple pipe-based bioreactors are interconnected a fluid source for preparing cell-based meat products. In addition, various methods and procedures for utilizing embodiments of pipe-based bioreactors are disclosed.