[Reading Science] Your Steak Will Be Made in a Laboratory in the Future

Cultured Meat and Plant-Based Alternatives Enter Full Commercialization
Emerging as Key Solutions to Climate, Food, and Resource Crises
Expected to Account for Over Half of the Meat Market by the 2040s

"Solving the climate, food, and resource crises all at once." Interest and demand for alternative meats, such as cultured meat produced in laboratories, have spread worldwide, starting from Europe and the United States. Although South Korea is still a 'no-wind zone,' analyses suggest that within the next 20 years, cultured meat and alternative meats will occupy more than half of the meat market. Let's explore cultured meat and other alternative meat technologies, future bio-technologies that are shaking up the global food market landscape.

What is Cultured Meat? What is Alternative Meat?

Alternative meat literally refers to new types of meat that replace traditional meat produced through large-scale livestock facilities where animals are fed with feed and pasture. Among these, cultured meat is meat produced by extracting animal stem cells and artificially culturing them. It is also called 'Lab grown Meat,' meaning meat grown in a laboratory, and some refer to it as 'clean meat,' emphasizing its cleanliness. There is also plant-based alternative meat, which is made to mimic the taste and texture of meat using plant-based ingredients. It is made using plant-based raw materials such as soy protein or wheat gluten. Alternative meat was sometimes called 'Konggogi' (soy meat). In other words, it was considered a niche food for vegetarians or those who avoid traditional meat for religious or health reasons. The taste, texture, and smell were only at a 'mere imitation' level.

However, over the past decade, with the intensification of climate change, international instability, and resource depletion, alternative meat has rapidly emerged as a means to completely replace traditionally produced meat from livestock farming. It minimizes environmental destruction and carbon emissions caused by large-scale grazing, factory farming, slaughtering, and processing, and also saves land. It satisfies recent consumer trends where many people avoid traditional meat consumption for humanitarian and ethical reasons. It also saves enormous resources and manpower used for compost, fertilizer, water, slaughtering, and transportation. Josh Tetrick, CEO of the UK cultured meat company 'Eat Just,' recently appeared on the BBC and stated, "We can produce meat in a hygienic, safe, and sustainable way," adding, "It can reduce carbon emissions and water and land use by 95% compared to traditional livestock farming."

In this regard, in 2020, a research team from the University of Helsinki in Finland published in the international journal Nature Food that consuming cultured meat or insects can significantly reduce environmental damage compared to traditional meat, with water consumption reduced by 84%, land use by 87%, and greenhouse gas emissions by 83%.

It can also be a means to overcome food crises caused by international instability and climate change. This issue has gained attention especially after the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war last year, which caused international food prices to soar. In March last year, wheat prices rose nearly $100 to $200 per ton compared to the previous year, with feed wheat at $333 and milling wheat at $448 per ton. Corn prices also surged over $100, with feed corn at $324 and food corn at $348, and soybeans skyrocketed to $493 for feed and $600 for milling. Although prices have somewhat stabilized since then, awareness of the importance of food self-sufficiency and self-reliance has increased.

Jinho Seo, Emeritus Professor of Food and Biological Engineering at Seoul National University, explained at a discussion hosted by the Korean Academy of Science and Technology on the 24th of last month, "(Alternative meat technology) is central to the ESG (environment, social, governance) of the food industry, and by producing raw materials for high-cost foods domestically, it can create jobs and increase the self-sufficiency rate of food raw materials."

The World is Already Riding the Wave of 'Cultured Meat' Commercialization

With the emphasis on low-carbon technologies to respond to climate change, stable food raw material supply, and consumers' preference for non-animal foods, research, development, and commercialization of cultured meat and alternative meat technologies are rapidly progressing worldwide. The global meat market is expected to reach about $1.8 trillion (2,000 trillion KRW) by 2040, with alternative meat expected to account for 60% of this. Experts predict that cultured meat will make up 35% and plant-based alternative meat 25%, surpassing traditional meat consumption. Impossible Foods in the United States is a representative company that recently overturned the market with consumer approval. They developed alternative meat hamburger patties that replicate the 'bloody' taste of beef by precision fermenting soy hemoglobin protein, surpassing Beyond Meat, the previous industry leader. Moreover, the scope of alternative meat using precision fermentation technology is expanding to eggs, leather, vanilla flavor, yeast-produced oils, tuna, and other seafood proteins. Professor Seo said, "Precision fermentation is a technology that optimizes microorganisms to produce all kinds of molecules such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, flavorings, and vitamins, which are components of food," and suggested, "In South Korea, to activate related technology R&D and industrialization, it is necessary to form and operate a consultative body among industry, academia, research, and government, establish production systems (foundries), and promote a preliminary feasibility study project for the precision fermentation initiative."

A bioreactor used for various cell cultures. Stock photo. Not related to the article.

Core Technologies and Challenging Tasks

Although there have been many recent developments and changes in the cultured meat field, there is still a long way to go. Multidisciplinary research using various academic fields is underway to produce diverse and high-quality meats such as steak sirloin at lower costs. For example, regenerative medicine technology developed for heart muscle regeneration, biomaterial technology, 3D printing techniques, and bioreactor technology for mass culturing are all being mobilized. The core of cultured meat is which cells are used, including satellite cells, embryonic stem cells, and genetically modified cells. Each has clear pros and cons, and regulations vary by country. Especially, to reduce costs and time, the composition of the culture medium used is crucial. Professor Bae Ho-jae of Konkuk University's KU Convergence Science and Technology Institute explained at the same discussion, "The composition of the culture medium is a top secret, and the existing serum-free culture medium costs between 200,000 to 600,000 KRW per 500 ml, making it very expensive," adding, "It is expected that by the early 2030s, the price of culture medium will be lowered to a level competitive with traditional meat, but there is still a long way to go." Accordingly, 'hybrid meat,' which combines plant-based alternative meat with cultured meat to achieve price competitiveness, has been actively developed recently.

Additionally, 3D bio-printing technology for scaffolds to shape the meat during culturing and large-scale bioreactor technology for mass culturing of various proteins are essential. Professor Bae said, "Countries like the US and Europe recognize cultured and alternative meats as new types of food and have established separate legal systems, but South Korea has not yet properly prepared regulations," adding, "Cultured meat must be tasty and price-competitive, so appropriate technologies such as precision fermentation are being developed, and regulatory issues will be a condition for rapid commercialization."